Amazon has successfully tested optical inter-satellite communication technology

Amazon has successfully tested optical inter-satellite link (OISL) as part of the Kuiper project. This technology involves the use of lasers to transmit data between spacecraft in orbit, writes TechCrunch.

To do this, the company used KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 test satellites, which were launched into space aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket in October. Then the carrier rocket launched the devices into low Earth orbit.

The company has now announced that during the tests, the satellites maintained 100 Gbps communications over a distance of more than 620 miles. The test results ensure that OISL will be on the company’s first production satellites, which are scheduled to launch in the first half of 2024.

As you know, Amazon aims to provide Internet connectivity even in remote locations. To do this, it wants to create a network of more than 3,200 satellites in Earth orbit, which will allow it to compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink.