Arezki Amiri
In a high-altitude test that could reshape the future of global satellite communications, China has successfully transmitted data at 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) from a geostationary orbit using a 2-watt laser. The signal, sent from 36,000 kilometers above Earth, outpaces the performance of Starlink by a factor of five—using significantly less power and without the need for a massive satellite constellation.
The breakthrough, led by researchers from Peking University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, leverages a novel optical system capable of maintaining data integrity despite the vast distance and signal distortion caused by atmospheric turbulence. With this demonstration, China presents a compelling alternative to low-Earth orbit (LEO) models currently dominating the satellite internet industry.
The technology was successfully tested at the Lijiang Observatory in southwestern China, offering a tangible shift toward laser-based satellite networks—a domain that promises faster speeds, lower latency, and broader bandwidth than traditional radio-frequency (RF) systems.
Beyond LEO: A New Model for Orbital Data Transmission
China’s system breaks from the crowded LEO approach taken by companies like SpaceX, which relies on thousands of satellites orbiting just 550 kilometers above the Earth. Instead, Chinese scientists demonstrated a high-speed optical link from a geostationary satellite, positioned over 36,700 kilometers away.
According to reporting from the South China Morning Post, the experiment achieved 1 Gbps data throughput using a 2-watt laser, maintaining signal quality over a transmission range rarely attempted for such high bandwidth.
The system relies on a dual-technology solution known as AO-MDR synergy, which combines adaptive optics (AO) to correct signal distortion in real-time with mode diversity reception (MDR) to recover scattered laser signals. The corrected signal is then split into eight transmission channels via a multi-plane light converter (MPLC), where a real-time algorithm identifies the most coherent paths, enhancing reliability and reducing transmission errors.
The detailed technical analysis is available via Interesting Engineering, which confirmed that this system raised the usable signal rate from 72% to 91.1%, marking a significant gain in performance stability at long range.
Laser vs. Radio
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