https://www.cas.cn/syky/202602/t20260202_5099301.shtml

The CAS Aerospace Information Research Institute has explored space-to-ground laser communication exceeding 100Gbps, achieving a communication rate of 120 gigabits per second (Gbps). The  communication link was stable and the downlink data quality was excellent.

For this experiment, the 500mm aperture space-to-ground laser communication system at the institute’s Taxian Laser Ground Station and an AIRSAT-02 satellite were used. Without changing the satellite hardware, through on-orbit software reconstruction from 60Gbps to 120Gbps, the hardware potential of the laser communication payload was fully utilized. A stable connection over longer periods, and efficient and reliable transmission of ultra-high-speed satellite-to-ground laser communication links xceeded 93%. The maximum continuous communication duration was 108 seconds, acquiring 12.656 Tb of data and successfully processing high-quality remote sensing images. The photo shows high-quality remote sensing image.