Optical Communication Systems

Building on its 25+ years of expertise in designing bespoke optical components for the most demanding space programs, Bertin Technologies, through its Bertin Winlight and Bertin Alpao brands, is now providing a range of cost-effective components, sub-systems and equipment for both satellite-to-ground and inter-satellite (OISL) links.

This new offering by Bertin Winlight will help power the emerging new space market by providing fast, efficient and reliable optical communication among satellite constellations.

Bertin Winlight and Bertin Alpao’s free space optical communication equipment also provide building blocks to replace or complete physical optical fibre networks on the ground with stellar fibre links, at a time where land and underwater cables are both expensive to build or maintain and challenging to secure as they become potential targets for belligerent activities.

Also, by extending the reach of ground fibre networks, Bertin’s spatial communication products enable data exchanges with mobile ground stations or sea vessels with optical speed, high bandwidth and secure links.

What’s inside?

Bertin’s free space optical communication portfolio includes four main elements:

• FiTT: At the heart of the system is a FiTT (Fiber to Telescope Terminal) unit. This element converts optical signals from traditional fiber optics into stellar impulses and back. Bertin Winlight’s FiTT equipment can also be configured for Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). Discover more ➔
• HPMUX: With stellar links requiring substantially more power than conventional fiber, Bertin Winlight designed a high power multiplexer, capable of handling 50 W to 100 W per stream.
  Discover more ➔
• Adaptive Optics: Bertin Technologies’ subsidiary Bertin Alpao offers a complete range of adaptive optic (AO) components and systems to compensate for atmospheric turbulence and deliver clear inbound signals coming from satellites as well as improved pointing capabilities for uplink signals to the satellites. Discover more ➔
• Telescope: Bertin Winlight also provides self-aligning telescope configurations designed for long range imaging purposes, suitable for either fixed on-site operation or vehicle-mounted operation.
• In addition to these four key components, Bertin Winlight also supplies circulators, isolators, interleavers, collimator and qualified filters.

How robust?

Bertin’s optical communication offering is currently under active development. Yet it relies on strong collaboration with satellite providers and ground station makers. Furthermore, its technology has already withstood the test of space. In 2023, the GEO satellite built by Airbus for Arabsat embarked a FiTT demonstrator. For over a year, Bertin’s FiTT unit provided a bi-directional 10 Gb/s upward and downward spatial communication link — a world first — offering valuable operational feedback that is helping our teams fine tune our portfolio of off-the-shelf optical communication products.

When?

We are aiming to provide commercially available FiTT components ready for launches as early an 2026. Adaptive Optics components and systems are already commercially available.