The Challenges And Opportunities Of Space Engineering In The 2020s And Beyond

In this interview, Matt Welch, G&H’s Chief Engineer, Fiber Optic Systems, shares his thoughts on the challenges of space engineering in the 2020s, and highlights recent projects and developments that have shown the viability of new ways forward.

Q. Laser and optical technologies are starting to replace radio-frequency (RF) for space communications. Why is this – and are there implications for other space disciplines such as Earth observation, defense, and space exploration? 

Laser and optical communications deliver many, many advantages over RF in space. Firstly, they offer much higher bandwidth, meaning they can carry more data. To put it in everyday terms, it’s like the difference between having your phone or internet signal brought to your home through slow copper wire, or through beefy fiber optics.