Abstract
Summary The successful test of a laser communication link between an ESA data-relay satellite and an Earth observation satellite marks a milestone in the development of optical space communications. It is the right moment to look back on more than 20 years of R{&}D effort in Europe. The paper gives an overview of the optical space communication activities at the European Space Agency (ESA), which have started in summer 1977, when ESA placed the first technology study contract in the domain of intersatellite optical links, and reports on the most recent European systems andhardware technology efforts aimed at the development of small and compact laser terminals for global mobile communication systems and satellite-based data networks.
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