China team’s space laser breakthrough takes communication speeds to high orbit

South China Morning PostEN 1 min read 100% complete by Ling XinMarch 4, 2026 at 02:30 PM

AI Summary

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Chinese scientists have achieved a breakthrough in space laser communication, establishing a sustained, high-speed link with a satellite in geostationary orbit over 40,000km away. Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Optics and Electronics used a telescope in Yunnan province to lock onto the satellite within seconds. The experiment, lasting over three hours, maintained uninterrupted data transmission at 1 Gbps in both directions. This advancement is considered a significant step towards enabling long-duration, real-time communication in high orbit, which is crucial for future deep-space networks. The technology addresses the challenges of unstable and brief communication links, improving the efficiency of data exchange between Earth and satellites.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Asia 30% Earth 40% Sichuan Observer ×250% Liu Chao ×260% Yunnan province 60% Institute of Optics and Electronics 70% Chinese Academy of Sciences 80% China 90%

Keywords

space laser communication 100% high orbit 80% satellite communication 70% data transmission 60% deep-space networks 50% 1 gbps 50% telescope 40% china 40%