{"id":1848,"date":"2026-03-11T16:49:27","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T16:49:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/ssc-space-launches-optical-ground-station-in-chile-to-advance-satellite-communications\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T16:49:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T16:49:27","slug":"ssc-space-launches-optical-ground-station-in-chile-to-advance-satellite-communications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/ssc-space-launches-optical-ground-station-in-chile-to-advance-satellite-communications\/","title":{"rendered":"SSC Space Launches Optical Ground Station in Chile to Advance Satellite Communications"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.satnow.com\/news\/cover1131_639088078907820680.webp\" width=\"712\" height=\"378\" alt=\"SSC Space Launches Optical Ground Station in Chile to Advance Satellite Communications\" class=\"imageload removeImageattr\" data-original=\"https:\/\/cdn.satnow.com\/news\/cover1131_639088078907820680.webp\" style=\"opacity: 0.920047;\"><meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/cdn.satnow.com\/news\/cover1131_639088078907820680.webp\"><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"712\"><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"378\"><\/p>\n<p>SSC Space announces a new Optical Ground Station (OGS) ready for operations at its site in Santiago, Chile. This cutting-edge technology, supported by the European Space Agency (ESA), marks a significant leap forward in satellite communications, delivering higher data rates and enhanced security compared to traditional methods.<\/p>\n<p>The station was successfully installed and has passed site acceptance testing. It is now ready to enable free-space laser communication between satellites and the ground, strengthening the capabilities of SSC Space in next-generation communication solutions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget-layout related-content-also-read-box my-3\">\n<h4 class=\"mb-0\">Also Read: How a Multi-Orbit Satcom Solution Gives Ground Stations the Best of Both Worlds<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p>The new station is part of the SSC Space optical service development project NODES within the European Space Agency\u2019s (ESA) Optical and Quantum Communications \u2013 ScyLight program, designed to accelerate the development of optical ground capabilities. Manufactured by Safran Space, this new OGS complements traditional RF links with laser-based optical links, offering:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Data rates up to 10 Gbit\/s,<\/li>\n<li>Narrow, directed beams which are difficult to intercept or jam and resilient to interference and cross-talk,<\/li>\n<li>No spectrum licensing and regulatory bottlenecks,<\/li>\n<li>Multi-mission capability and bi-directional communications (throughout 2026) with integrated modems supporting CCSDS and SDA standards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>\u201cThe station in Santiago is not just another node \u2013 it\u2019s a leap forward. We\u2019re moving satellite communications into a new era of speed, security, and resilience. As part of the NODES network, this station brings us closer to fulfilling tomorrow\u2019s mission needs, with interference-resistant transmission capable of meeting heavy data demand,\u201d <strong>says Hanna Sundberg, Optical Program Manager at SSC Space.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cAt&nbsp;<\/em><em>ESA<\/em><em>, we\u2019re working with our partners to showcase the \u2018Made in Europe\u2019 innovations that will provide connectivity to our Member States that\u2019s faster, more secure, and more resilient than ever before. Our Optical and Quantum Communications \u2013 ScyLight program is an essential tool for keeping our partners at the leading edge of the global satellite communications market, and this partnership with&nbsp;<\/em><em>SSC Space&nbsp;<\/em><em>shows just how we\u2019re delivering connectivity solutions beyond Europe and Canada,\u201d <strong>said Laurent Jaffart, Director of ESA Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Housed on a 100-hectare site protected by the Andes foothills, the station already runs on locally generated solar power \u2013 350 kWh from a 624-panel array, cutting emissions by roughly 8 percent and represents SSC Space\u2019s commitment to carbon-neutral operations by 2040. Operational trials of the SSC Space optical infrastructure began in Western Australia in early 2025, and with the installation in Chile, the network of two OGSs is ready to support direct-to-Earth laser links. Pilot users and early adapters are now invited to be the first to experience the system. This achievement is the result of close collaboration between SSC Space, the&nbsp;European Space Agency (ESA), and Safran Space.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SSC Space announces a new Optical Ground Station (OGS) ready for operations at its site in Santiago, Chile. This cutting-edge technology, supported by the European Space Agency (ESA), marks a significant leap forward in satellite communications, delivering higher data rates and enhanced security compared to traditional methods. The station was successfully installed and has passed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[26,42,20],"class_list":["post-1848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-ground","tag-satcom","tag-satellite"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1848"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1848"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1848\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}