Precision laser links overcome turbulence for better satellite communications
by Riko Seibo
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Oct 23, 2025
The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), collaborating with the Nagoya Institute of Technology and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, has achieved a world-first demonstration using advanced error correction codes to mitigate atmospheric turbulence in ground-to-satellite laser communications.

Atmospheric turbulence during ground-to-satellite laser links results in fading, causing burst data errors. Leveraging next-generation error correction codes such as 5G NR LDPC and DVB-S2, the team transmitted data and successfully corrected these burst errors, leading to a marked improvement in communication quality compared to conventional methods.

For this project, NICT used its 1-meter optical ground station and JAXA's Laser Utilizing Communication System on a geostationary satellite. Experiments revealed turbulence produced fading lasting milliseconds, generating clusters of data errors. The researchers optimized interleaving parameters and error correction codes to address these bursts, confirming that 5G NR LDPC and DVB-S2 increase reliability and support hardware integration for future 5G systems.

This success lays the groundwork for practical laser communications between ground and satellites and paves the way for adopting terrestrial 5G and satellite broadcast standards in space systems. These results will be presented at the International Conference on Space Optical Systems and Applications (ICSOS) 2025.

Related Links
National Institute of Information and Communications Technology of Japan
Space Technology News - Applications and Research