https://english.news.cn/20240915/2718ac48dea946ad9a9b6914ed02add3/c.html

A laser communication ground system with a 500mm-caliber antenna was deployed  on the Pamir Plateau in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The system was developed by the CAS Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) and marks the end of relying solely on microwave ground stations for satellite data reception.

China’s volume of data generated by satellite detection is growing exponentially. The current inability to transmit this massive amount of data promptly has become a significant problem. Satellite-to-ground laser communications have abundant spectrum resources and a wider bandwidth, about ten times to nearly a thousand times wider than that of microwave communications. However, weather conditions and atmospheric turbulence affect the performance and availability of space-to-ground laser communications. Therefore, selecting an appropriate site can greatly mitigate the impact of complex and unstable atmospheric conditions.

The atmospheric conditions in the Mount Muztagata region on the Pamir Plateau are excellent, with high visibility and a dry and low rainfall climate, allowing for year-round space-to-ground laser communication operations. Facilities were constructed at 4,800 meters and 3,300 meters above the sea level, and the system will be operated remotely.

Satellite data communication will move from “single lane” to “thousand lanes”.