Feb 7, 2026

China Achieves 120 Gbps Satellite-to-Ground Laser Communication: Doubling Bandwidth Without Hardware Changes

China doubled satellite-to-ground laser communication bandwidth from 60 Gbps to 120 Gbps in January 2026 without modifying satellite hardware. The Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences achieved this through on-orbit software reconfiguration of the AIRSAT-02 satellite’s laser payload.

This is the fastest operational satellite-to-ground laser link demonstrated to date.

The January 2026 Experiment

The experiment used a 500 mm-aperture laser communication system at a ground station on the Pamir Plateau in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, northwest China. This station, operational since September 2024, is China’s first satellite-to-ground laser communication facility for commercial and routine operations.

The test established a stable communication link with high-quality data downlink at 120 Gbps peak transmission speed. The team addressed three core challenges:

Rapid link setup: Acquiring and locking onto a moving satellite with a narrow laser beam
Stable long-duration operation: Maintaining beam alignment through atmospheric turbulence
Dependable, efficient data transmission: Error correction and signal processing at ultra-high speeds

Technology Readiness Level: TRL 6-7 (demonstrated in operational environment)

Progression: 10 Gbps to 120 Gbps in Three Years

China’s satellite laser communication program advanced rapidly:

2023: 10 Gbps satellite-to-ground link
2025: 60 Gbps satellite-to-ground link
January 2026: 120 Gbps satellite-to-ground link (software upgrade from 60 Gbps)

The 2026 achievement is particularly significant because it doubled bandwidth without launching new hardware. The AIRSAT-02 satellite’s laser payload was reconfigured in orbit, demonstrating that current optical communication systems have headroom for software-driven performance improvements.

China has also demonstrated 400 Gbps inter-satellite laser links in separate tests, though these have not yet been deployed operationally for satellite-to-ground communication.

Why Laser Communication Matters for Orbital Computing

Radio frequency (RF) communication dominates satellite data transmission, but it has fundamental bandwidth limitations. The electromagnetic spectrum is crowded, and RF links top out at a few gigabits per second for most operational systems.

Laser communication (free-space optical communication) uses infrared light instead of radio waves. The much higher frequency provides orders of magnitude more bandwidth. A 120 Gbps laser link transmits data 10-100 times faster than typical RF satellite links.

For orbital computing architectures like China’s Three-Body Computing Constellation or proposed systems like SpaceX’s orbital data centers, laser links are essential. High-bandwidth data transmission enables:

Neural state synchronization: Distributed computing nodes in orbit require constant data exchange
Real-time data downlink: Orbital processing results must reach ground stations quickly
Inter-satellite networking: Constellation architectures need high-speed node-to-node communication

A 120 Gbps link can transmit approximately 15 gigabytes per second. For comparison, this is equivalent to downloading a full 4K movie in under one second, or transmitting the entire text of Wikipedia in a few seconds.

Atmospheric Challenges

Laser communication through Earth’s atmosphere faces significant obstacles that RF communication does not:

Atmospheric turbulence: Temperature variations cause air density fluctuations, which bend and scatter laser beams. This creates signal fading and pointing errors.

Weather dependency: Clouds, fog, and precipitation block optical wavelengths. Laser links require clear line-of-sight.

Adaptive optics: Ground stations must use real-time beam correction to compensate for atmospheric distortion.

The Pamir Plateau location addresses some of these challenges. High altitude (above much of the atmosphere) and low humidity reduce turbulence and weather interference. However, global coverage requires multiple ground stations in diverse climates, not all of which will have ideal atmospheric conditions.

Comparison to Other Laser Communication Programs

China’s 120 Gbps achievement is the current operational record for satellite-to-ground laser communication, but other programs are advancing:

NASA LCRD (Laser Communications Relay Demonstration): Demonstrated 1.2 Gbps downlink and 622 Mbps uplink in 2023. TRL 7-8 (operational demonstration).
ESA EDRS (European Data Relay System): Operational inter-satellite laser links at 1.8 Gbps since 2016. TRL 8-9 (operational system).
SpaceX Starlink: Uses laser inter-satellite links (bandwidth not publicly disclosed, estimated 10-100 Gbps). TRL 8 (operational).

China’s 120 Gbps satellite-to-ground link exceeds NASA’s LCRD by two orders of magnitude, though direct comparison is difficult because system architectures differ (relay satellites vs. direct Earth observation satellites).

The 400 Gbps inter-satellite link tests suggest China is targeting even higher bandwidths for future constellations.

Path Forward: Neural Data Transmission

For orbital computing to support distributed neural processing (the core concept behind projects like ArkSpace’s exocortex constellation), inter-satellite and satellite-to-ground bandwidth must scale further.

A human brain processes information at an estimated 1-100 petabits per second, depending on the model. Current 120 Gbps links are nine orders of magnitude below this. However, neural state synchronization does not require transmitting every synaptic event. Compressed representations, sparse coding, and event-driven architectures can reduce bandwidth requirements significantly.

The question is whether laser communication can scale to terabit-per-second (Tbps) links. China’s progression from 10 Gbps to 120 Gbps in three years, with 400 Gbps inter-satellite tests, suggests Tbps links are achievable within the next decade.

At that point, orbital neural computing becomes technically feasible, not just speculative.