Optical communication terminals
Laser terminals that link satellites to each other and to the ground, built to the Space Development Agency's common standard. 84 were on orbit as of August 2026.
Why it matters
Laser links carry far more data than radio and are hard to intercept or jam. A shared standard lets satellites from different builders talk to each other in one military mesh network.
How the technology works
Each terminal points a narrow laser beam at a partner satellite and tracks it precisely while both move at orbital speed, then modulates the light to carry data. Skyloom built the terminals and York Space Systems integrated them into satellites for SDA's Tranche 1 Transport Layer.
Sources
Updated Oct 22, 2026 · How we source facts · Suggest a correction