Archangel Lightworks opens up laser communications

Terra-M deployable laser communications ground station during field trials in May 2026. (Archangel Lightworks)

UK-based Archangel Lightworks completed UK's first successful download of data from space using its Terra-M deployable optical ground station, according to a 27 May press release from UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl).

During a 90-second satellite pass in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) “many gigabits of data” were downloaded from the satellite to the Terra-M ground station located in the Mediterranean region, according to the Dstl press release. During the multi-day field trial data was transported over multiple passes to demonstrate repeatability, Paul Davey, chief commercial officer at Archangel Lightworks told Janes on 28 May. “Futher testing will probe the operational limits of the system, increasing communication duration, testing under different atmospheric conditions [and so on],” Davey said.

Its modular design enables interoperability with a wide range of laser communication standards and terminals, according to the manufacturer, but the field trials that took place in May 2026 used the US Space Development Agency's Optical Communication Terminal standard.

The laser communications ground station will be exploited across “many capability areas” and could form part of the UK's digital targeting web, according to the Dstl release.

The Terra-M system comprises three modules, the optical head, laser cabinet, and a data cabinet. The optical head stands at 1.1 m tall and is 0.7 m in diameter. It is currently able to transmit and receive data from 5 Mbps to 10 Gbps, according to Davey. The next generation system will be capable of better than 100 Gbps and it is expected that future systems will breach terabit-per-second (Tbps) downlinks threshold, Davey confirmed.