For the first time in the history of space industry, a German company was chosen to deliver crucial technology for a core communication system of a US governmental program.

Within this program, an US american manufacturer for satellite payloads has received an order to supply ten LEO satellites with optical inter-satellite links, for which they selected TESAT as the unique supplier for all optical terminals.

Now, the Constellation Laser Communication Terminals (ConLCTs) are to be built and delivered until the planned launch of the first satellite on 31st July, 2022.

With a live weight of around 1.7 tons, OHB brought us a real chunk a few weeks ago. This colossus is nothing less than the repeater module of the German communications satellite Heinrich Hertz, which has found its new, temporary home unscathed at us in Backnang.

Today, more than 120 devices and components from TESAT will launch into space. About 90 of these are passive devices such as output networks, input multiplexer or filter assemblies, and about three dozen are active components as e.g. microwave power modules. They will fly along with tonight’s launching Ariane 5 ECA carrying Galaxy 30 (G30), the Mission Extension Vehicle-2 (MEV-2) and BSAT-4b.

The launch window opens tonight at 23:33 CEST.

Update from Friday, 12:15h: Launch was postponed to Saturday 23:33 CEST due to weather conditions.

Last week the Bartolomeo platform was successfully installed on the ISS, and fundamentally simplifies the operational capability and scientific resilience of the international space station. In-orbit testing, earth observation missions, space robotics, weather monitoring or exobiology experiments, all of this and much more will not only be more affordable and simple, no, the simplicity and, above all, the speed of data transmission will increase dramatically:

At the latest when the TOSIRIS sets out on the path to the ISS next year and is attached to the outer shell. The TOSIRIS is a handy laser communication terminal, barely bigger than a shoe box, which TESAT developed and built in cooperation with the DLR-IKN. The terminal weighing just about 9 kilograms will drastically revolutionize the communication between the ISS and Earth's surface once it has been commissioned, and transcends the space station into the Giga era with data transmission rates of up to 10 gigabits per second.

EDRS-C completed its commissioning tests last week and is now ready to start operational service. The second node of the European Data Relay Satellite System (EDRS) strengthens the position of the world's first laser communication constellation and doubles its capacity. While currently the SpaceDataHighway mainly serves the European Copernicus programme, until 2030 a total of 15 satellites should use the very high bandwidth data connectivity.

The success story of our TESAT Campus continues. Meanwhile, our second and third training was finished and thirteen new, happy and successfully certified participants could be released to the world of EEE space parts.

Tomorrow starts this year’s Space Tech Expo Europe in Bremen and, counting as a home match, we will be there as almost every years. Even though being an old hand we are excited about the upcoming few days and are glad to be part of this great, international space community.

Already for the 32^nd time, the MEWS conference took place in Japan. This year's main topic: EEE components and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) as a trump card to NewSpace activity.

Our TESAT Parts Agency participated at this weeks ACCEDE workshop from the European Space Agency ESA from 6. to 8. November. The conference has its focus on the use of Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components and parts for use in space applications.

Today we can announce that we delivered our first CubeLCT to a non-disclosed, US-American customer. The CubeLCT is a small, ultra-lightweight optical data transmitter, which is capable of transferring data with 100 Megabit per second from low Earth orbit satellites directly to ground. For us, this delivery marks the starting point of a new product family focusing on NewSpace applications for small satellites and CubeSats.