The OSIRIS program aims to develop optical communications technology and systems for the direct downlink from and the direct connection between small satellites – such as those used in earth observation and mega-constellations – we test them in space and bring it to market together with one of our industrial partners. The current portfolio ranges from “OSIRIS4CubeSat” for small satellites to “OSIRISv3”, which was developed for small satellites in the weight category of up to 100 kilograms and is to be tested on board the International Space Station (ISS). Depending on the system configuration, data rates ranging from a 100 megabits per second up to several gigabits per second can be achieved between satellites in orbit and earth.
Light, compact, and safe
Optical communication systems not only distinguish themselves through their high data rates, but also due to their lighter and more compact design, as well as their lower power requirement in comparison to traditional radio systems. In addition, the connections are almost completely tap-proof.
OSIRIS = Optical Space Infrared Downlink System
The OSIRIS program follows the development roadmap below:
In contrast to the other OSIRIS payloads, OSIRIS4CubeSat does not aim to further increase the data rate, but rather to achieve a highly compact system design that enables the use of optical communication even on small satellites such as CubeSats.
A further stage of development of OSIRIS towards higher data rates is OSIRISv3. The terminal now has its own alignment unit with which the data rate can be increased up to 10 Gbit/s.
OSIRISv2 is a further development of the first version towards higher data rates. The terminal was launched on the DLR satellite BIROS in 2016.
OSIRISv1 is the first generation of terminals in the OSIRIS family. It was launched in July 2017 along with the small satellite Flying Laptop of the University of Stuttgart.