Last week, the ANU InSpace team attended the 17th Australian Space Forum in Adelaide, hosted by The Andy Thomas Space Foundation.

Associate Director, Strategic Projects, Kate Ferguson, spoke on the panel "Enabling Technologies - Space Sector Opportunities."

"It was great to speak about optical communications and explore the synergies with other emerging technologies such as quantum, AI, and cyber and how these can impact our daily lives," said Kate.

Optical communications promises much faster data rates and enhanced security compared to current radio-frequency satellite communication systems. This is critical for getting data from space down to Earth and benefits society in many ways.

The ANU Quantum Optical Ground Station has been specifically designed for high performance applications with advanced instrumentation, such as adaptive optics, necessary for ultra-high speed optical communications.

"This type of optical communication infrastructure will complement existing RF infrastructure," Kate says, "bringing increases in speed, security, and resilience to the whole communication system. This is particularly important during natural disasters and other events that put strain on the current systems."