During the recent IAC Conference in Dubai, Leaf Space partnered with Odysseus Space to develop a hybrid ground station network optimized for optical and RF communications.
The two companies will work together to apply Odysseus Space’s CYCLOPS technology to further support Leaf Space’s global Leaf Line network, offering satellite operators additional flexibility in how they communicate with their satellites and constellations, as well as vital backup communication options.
Leaf Space’s existing SaaS-enabled Leaf Line technology allows for easy integration of additional communication technologies, like Odysseus Space’s optical solutions. Creating this first of its kind hybrid network will further decrease latency for communication between in-space assets to Earth through optical Direct-to-Earth links enabled by Odysseus solutions.
Leaf Space and Odysseus Space intend to complete the first hybrid enabled Ground Station by early 2024. This project is supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) and funded by the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA), which awarded Odysseus Space with a contract to support the further development of optical communication infrastructure.
“The market is showing a growing desire for optical communications options as they offer tremendous benefits for satellite operators like higher data rates and in space communications for larger constellations, but it’s still important for operators to have RF options. Particularly when optical solutions are prevented by things like weather or aren’t required for certain use cases or operational modes,” said Giovanni Pandolfi Bortoletto, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Leaf Space. “By partnering with Odysseus Space on this initiative, we are working towards building the first true optical-RF hybrid ground station network that will offer our customers the highest level of flexibility and reliability on the market.”
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Leaf Space to develop these new hybrid Ground Stations that will further expand our abilities to provide customers with the most capable end-to-end solutions to support their missions in space,” said Jordan Vannitsen, co-founder and chief executive officer of Odysseus Space. “With increasing needs for higher data rate and concerns regarding the RF spectrum congestion, the demand for optical communications is continuing to grow and as we see constellations increase in lockstep, we know that the trend is going to continue. Combining our two market-leading technologies is an asset to customers and we look forward to working with the Leaf Space team.”
Leaf Space is pioneering the concept of ground segment as-a-service (GSaaS) for forward thinking satellite and launch operators around the world. Since its inception in 2014, Leaf Space has focused on developing the highest quality ground station services and technology with the goal of creating the most efficient and valuable ground segment solutions available on the modern space market. Leaf Space is based in Lomazzo, Italy and is funded by RedSeed Ventures, Whysol Investments and Primo Space.
Odysseus provides innovative products and services to facilitate the flow of goods and information anywhere in the Solar System. Since 2016, Odysseus Space provided services to support customers at all phases of their satellite missions. The company now focuses on developing CYCLOPS, its end-to-end free space optical communications solution, and ASTRAEUS, its optical navigation solution. ODYSSEUS line of products firstly addresses the smallsats LEO market while paving the way for future applications in Space resources prospection missions. Odysseus Space is based in Luxembourg and Taiwan.
