Australian and Japanese organizations join forces on optical communications

SYDNEY, Australia – The University of South Australia announced an agreement Sept. 29 with Australian start-up RapidBeam and Japanese startup Warpspace to develop laser communication systems.

Under the agreement, announced at the International Astronautical Congress here, Warpspace’s optical modem will be integrated with the Australasian Optical Ground Station Network (AOGSN) and demonstrated in space-to-space and satellite-to-ground testing. The University of South Australia leads the campaign to develop AOGSN, a network to provide high-bandwidth, secure satellite communications across Australia and New Zealand.

Through the partnership, Warpspace will accelerate development of its HOCSAI optical modem and expand work in Australia, where the space sector is growing rapidly, Hirokazu Mori