{"id":91091,"date":"2026-10-21T17:51:34","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T09:51:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/marble-imaging-and-reflex-aerospace-select-odysseus-space-laser-terminal-for-first-satellite-mission\/"},"modified":"2026-10-21T17:51:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T09:51:34","slug":"marble-imaging-and-reflex-aerospace-select-odysseus-space-laser-terminal-for-first-satellite-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/marble-imaging-and-reflex-aerospace-select-odysseus-space-laser-terminal-for-first-satellite-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"Marble Imaging and Reflex Aerospace Select Odysseus Space Laser Terminal for First Satellite Mission"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Earth observation operator Marble Imaging, satellite manufacturer Reflex Aerospace, and optical communications specialist Odysseus Space announced a joint mission to deploy space-to-ground laser communications aboard Marble Sat-1. <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Marble Imaging\u2019s first satellite Marble Sat-1 \u201cMorgana\u201d <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Scheduled for launch in the first quarter of 2027, the spacecraft, named Morgana, will utilize optical downlink technology to overcome conventional radio-frequency bottlenecks and accelerate data delivery for European Earth observation.<\/p>\n

Optical Downlink Strategy and RF Bottleneck Mitigation<\/h3>\n

As high-resolution Earth observation payloads generate massive data volumes, operators encounter severe throughput constraints when downlinking via conventional radio-frequency (RF) channels, which typically operate between 1 and 2 Gbps. Optical communications bypass these spectral limitations by employing narrow, interception-resistant optical beams that operate outside international radio spectrum licensing regimes.<\/p>\n

The deployment operationalizes concepts outlined by Odysseus Space examining how laser communications resolve orbital data transfer bottlenecks to enable scalable space infrastructure. Shifting to managed Laser Communication as a Service (LCaaS) enables Marble Imaging to lower data retrieval costs by a factor of ten while securing high-volume data streams for civil monitoring and defense intelligence.<\/p>\n

Spacecraft Platform and Cyclops Terminal Specifications<\/h3>\n

Manufactured and integrated by Reflex Aerospace, the satellite platform recently passed flight qualification and vibration testing. The platform builds upon manufacturing lines supported by Reflex Aerospace\u2019s \u20ac50 million Series A funding and earlier demonstration partnerships with Marble Imaging and Reflex Aerospace.<\/p>\n

The spacecraft carries Odysseus Space\u2019s Cyclops-DTE terminal, delivering transmission speeds up to 10 Gbps and daily throughput of at least 1 terabyte of imagery. Provided on a subscription basis with no upfront hardware expense, the service manages pass planning through to data delivery, supported by planned access to 50 optical ground stations within five years.<\/p>\n

Executive Perspective on Optical Security<\/h3>\n

Leadership emphasized the dual throughput and security advantages of optical links.<\/p>\n

\u201cLaser communication unlocks the downlink speeds needed for the massive data volumes of next-generation Earth observation satellites, while offering inherently more secure data transfer, critical in the current environment,\u201d stated Robert Hook, Chief Executive Officer of Marble Imaging.<\/p>\n

In-Orbit Demonstration Phase and Constellation Roadmap<\/h3>\n

Following its early 2027 launch, Marble Sat-1 will conduct a six-month in-orbit demonstration phase before beginning commercial operations. Morgana serves as the pathfinder for Marble Imaging\u2019s planned constellation of more than 20 very high-resolution satellites delivering hourly planetary analytics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Earth observation operator Marble Imaging, satellite manufacturer Reflex Aerospace, and optical communications specialist Odysseus Space announced a joint mission to deploy space-to-ground laser communications aboard Marble Sat-1. Marble Imaging\u2019s first satellite Marble Sat-1 \u201cMorgana\u201d  Scheduled for launch in the first quarter of 2027, the spacecraft, named Morgana, will utilize optical […]<\/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":[],"class_list":["post-91091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91091"}],"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=91091"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91091\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}