Laser optical links were made between the Aristarchos telescope and the AlphaSat telecommunication satellite

Between June 26 and July 2, laser optical links were made between the Aristarchos telescope and the AlphaSat telecommunication satellite. The team visiting from ESA worked with the Helmos Observatory team to complete several experiments in which the telescope not only recorded the beam from AlphaSat but also the quality and characteristics of the signal.

The laser beam sent by Aristarchos to the AlphaSat satellite. This beam travelled 37,000 km to reach AlphaSat, which is the bright dot within the beam. Because the laser emits in the near-infrared and is not visible to the eye, this photo was taken by inserting a special diopter with which we can see in the near-infrared.

On the left side of this photo you can see the AlphaSat laser beam (the red dot) while on the right side the eye diagram of the laser signal showing the quality of the signal.