Laser Light Communications, LLC
Overview
Laser Light Communications, LLC, (collectively, Laser Light) is a communications company based in Reston, Virginia, United States, that utilizes optical technology to meet satellite communications needs. Laser Light focuses on FSO satellites for commercial and governmental purposes. Primarily, Laser Light aims to deploy the first all-optical global communications network to meet last-mile and remotely-located users.
Projects
StarBeam
StarBeam is Laser Light’s patented operating system which is designed to perform intelligent adaptive routing procedures according to atmospheric and network information given to it by SpaceCable and HALO. StarBeam uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to appropriately manage the transmission of data between points of communication. StarBeam is also available as a user-defined “real-time” service solution for governments and commercial enterprises using SpaceCable and HALO. [1] StarBeam’s patent is publicly available online.
StarEdge
StarEdge was a system of ground stations for the SpaceCable network produced by L3-CSW under contract for Laser Light. [2] The ground stations receive data from the SpaceCable MEO satellites and interface with a terrestrial fiber network to the regional hub center managed by StarBeam OS. The information is passed from there to the end-user. The ground stations are positioned based on customer needs and are simultaneously connected to the fiber infrastructure and the satellite network. [3]
SpaceCable
SpaceCable is a mesh network of satellites proposed by Laser Light that will conduct interplanetary communication. In the initial announcement, Laser Light proposed three peering points: Earth, Earth’s moon, and Mars. The network will rely on HALO to communicate with Earth’s grid and the data will be managed by StarBeam. In 2014, Laser Light selected Ball Aerospace to be the primary vendor for the SpaceCable network. [4]
Laser Light’s proposed SpaceCable network (graphic). Presented at the 2016 Ka and Broadband Communications Conference.
HALO
Laser Light’s primary project is the all-optical global communications network High Articulation Laser Optics (HALO). As the description implies, this project aims to operate as the world’s first all-optical communications network that can reach any spot on the planet. The deployed satellites will be in MEO, reducing round-trip delay by 75% compared to GEO, and will interface with the StarBeam ground system. No RF satellites or RF communications will be included in HALO even as redundancies. HALO is planned to be launched in the fiscal year of 2020 at 100 initial customer locations. [5]
The service capacity of the planned HALO Global Network will be +33Tbps. The HALO network – satellite and SD-WAN’s – will be fully interconnected with Laser Light’s proprietary Extended Ground Network System (XGNS), a greenfield software-defined fiber network, and its patented StarBeam operating system. This will ensure customers receive carrier-grade service, enhanced redundancy, resiliency, and unprecedented privacy & security. HALO is designed to support its “Optical Satellite as a Service” (O-SaaS) product suite, global access 100Gbps circuits, and its proprietary HALO Direct Connect service for global enterprises, data centers, media, finance firms, carriers, and government entities.
HALO will be dynamically managed by the StarBeam operating system. According to Laser Light’s 2018 Executive Summary, “HALO will have the operating efficiency of satellite, the throughput capacity of subsea cable and terrestrial fiber… and the flexibility to deliver state of the art products and services for its customers worldwide.” [5]
Partnerships
In 2019, Laser Light partnered with ATLAS Space Operations to win a NASA contract for the SCaN Program’s Space Relay Partnership and Services Study. [6]
In 2018, Xenesis, ATLAS, and Laser Light formed the first space-to-ground all-optical global data distribution joint venture. The three companies named the venture “The Empower Space Alliance™”. [7]
In 2015, Laser Light partnered with Optus, an Australian telecom company, to integrate HALO into Australia’s existing satellite communications infrastructure to expand data throughput and signal range. [8]
In 2015, Laser Light partnered with L3-CSW to create the StarEdge ground stations for Laser Light’s all-optical space network, HALO and SpaceCable. [2]
Patents
Laser Light Communications holds US Patent 9,438,341 which comprises the detailed elements of the StarBeam OS. [9] [10]