Laser internet between space and the ground

How far are free-space laser links from routine high-capacity space and ground communication?

NASA has demonstrated laser links from a relay satellite in geostationary orbit, from a small satellite to the ground at 200 gigabits per second, and from deep space. The deep-space test on Psyche reached 267 megabits per second at about 33 million miles, but sustained only 6.25 megabits per second at about 240 million miles. Trade press reports say laser links connect satellites in at least one large commercial constellation. Clouds remain the main limit on ground links, and the sources reviewed give no measured availability or cost figures for a commercial network of ground stations.

AI illustration · Illustrative scene, not a photograph of the specific device or experiment.
WHERE WE AREPilots

Close. Early pilots are running in the real world.

Laser links have been flown and used in operation. The best-established case is links between satellites in a commercial constellation, which were reported as being tested as fully operational after a 2021 launch. A 2024 trade press report gives more than 9,000 installed links, but that figure is secondhand. Ground and deep-space links have been shown in demonstrations, and NASA's relay and deep-space results are demonstrations, not published service levels. No source reviewed shows a commercial ground network that keeps a stated availability through all weather, so the stage is pilot rather than scaling.

The tech tree

Everything recorded on Vrulum that this future needs, oldest foundations at the top and the goal at the bottom. Lines show what each step requires.

What it takes: Laser internet between space and the ground Unlocked Being researched Locked
  1. 2021Laser communication linksPilot and early commercial Unlocked.
  1. 2021Laser links between satellites in a commercial constellationDone Unlocked.
  2. 2021Laser relay to a geostationary satelliteDone Unlocked.
  3. 2022Laser downlink from a small satelliteDone Unlocked.
  4. 2025Laser link from deep spaceDone Unlocked.
  5. 2026Laser link on the crewed Artemis II missionDone Unlocked.
  6. Date not recordedGround network that keeps links open through cloudIn progress Being researched.
  7. Date not recordedCommercial ground service with a stated availabilityNot started Locked.
  1. GoalLaser internet between space and the groundGoalRequires: Laser communication links, Laser links between satellites in a commercial constellation, Laser relay to a geostationary satellite, Laser downlink from a small satellite, Laser link from deep space, Laser link on the crewed Artemis II mission, Ground network that keeps links open through cloud, Commercial ground service with a stated availability. Locked.

The road so far

5 of 7 steps done, 1 in progress.

  1. Done · Sept 2021Laser links between satellites in a commercial constellation

    Spaceflight Now reported that 51 Starlink satellites carrying laser links launched on 13 September 2021, and that they were testing fully operational optical inter-satellite links. A 2024 trade press report, citing a SpaceX presentation, gave more than 9,000 installed laser links. That report is secondhand and has not been checked against a SpaceX primary source. [6][7]

  2. Done · 7 Dec 2021Laser relay to a geostationary satellite

    NASA's Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) launched on 7 December 2021 to geosynchronous orbit, about 22,000 miles up. It relays laser links between spacecraft and two ground stations, at Table Mountain, California and Haleakalā, Hawaii. NASA's optical overview lists its optical relay rate as 1.244 gigabits per second. [1][2]

  3. Done · 25 May 2022Laser downlink from a small satellite

    The TeraByte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD) CubeSat launched on 25 May 2022. NASA reports 200 gigabits per second direct-to-Earth downlinks from it as a demonstration. [2][1]

  4. Done · 2 Sept 2025Laser link from deep space

    NASA's Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) demonstration flew on the Psyche spacecraft. Its system maximum of 267 megabits per second was reached at about 33 million miles. On 24 June 2024, at about 240 million miles, it sustained 6.25 megabits per second, with a peak of 8.3 megabits per second. JPL says a key goal was to show that data-rate reduction with distance follows the inverse square of distance. The ground terminals received 13.6 terabits in total, and the demonstration concluded on 2 September 2025. [4][3]

  5. Done · 1 Apr 2026Laser link on the crewed Artemis II mission

    NASA says the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System (O2O) launched on Artemis II on 1 April 2026. NASA says it enables high-definition video transfer between the Orion crew and Earth at up to 260 megabits per second. [1]

  6. In progressGround network that keeps links open through cloud

    NASA's relay uses two ground stations, and NASA says additional stations give redundancy, so traffic can be redirected from a cloudy station to a different site. A preprint that models eight Australian and New Zealand stations, using satellite cloud data, reports 69 per cent average site availability. It is a model-based study, not a measured service on an operating network. [1][2][5]

  7. Not startedCommercial ground service with a stated availability

    No source reviewed gives a measured availability, price or service level for a commercial optical ground network. NASA's own relay is a demonstration, and the deep-space experiment has concluded. [3]

Why it matters

JPL reports data rates at least 10 times higher than comparable radio systems, which matters for science missions, crewed flights and busy satellite networks. If ground stations can keep links open through cloud, laser links could reduce the need for radio spectrum and for some large ground antennas. Weather and pointing limits decide how many stations are needed and where they go, so the answer shapes network cost as well as performance.

What stands in the way

  • Clouds and mist can interrupt laser links. NASA's main mitigation is several ground stations, so traffic can be redirected to a clear site, which needs more sites and more equipment.
  • Pointing must be very precise, because a deviation of even a fraction of a degree can make the laser miss its target. Beams also spread with distance, so the received signal weakens. NASA says photon-counting receivers are still being developed to detect the weak signal.
  • Data rates fall with distance. The deep-space sustained rate of 6.25 megabits per second at about 240 million miles was far below the 267 megabits per second system maximum.
  • Published ground availability figures are modelled, not measured for an operating network. The 69 per cent figure is a model-based result for an example network of eight stations.
  • The highest rates are peaks or maximums, and the 200 gigabits per second Starlink figure comes from a secondhand report. Sustained, whole-mission throughput figures are not published in the sources reviewed.

Signals to watch

  • A published availability figure, measured over at least a year, for an operating multi-station optical ground network.
  • Sustained data rates, not peaks, reported for a deep-space optical link on a mission after Psyche.
  • SpaceX publishing its laser link figures in a primary document, so that the 9,000-link and 200 gigabits per second figures can be checked.
  • Results from the Artemis II optical link published with sustained rates and link availability.
  • Photon-counting receivers flown on a mission and reporting weak-signal performance.

Sources

  1. government report
    Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) Overview
    Loura Hall. NASA, 7 Dec 2021.
  2. government report
    Optical Communications
    Catherine G. Manning, Katherine Schauer. NASA, 20 Sept 2023.
  3. government report
    Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC)
    NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 2025.
  4. government report
    NASA’s Laser Comms Demo Makes Deep Space Record, Completes First Phase
    NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 3 Oct 2024.
  5. preprint
    Availability, outage, and capacity of spatially correlated, Australasian free-space optical networks
    Marcus Birch, James R. Beattie, Francis Bennet et al.. arXiv, Nov 2022.

Last reviewed 21 Oct 2026.