• ESA has agreed biggest ever budget on optical communication, in excess of €500 million
• Scylight and HydRON initiatives to support industry across the entire value chain
• Sets out increased support to SMEs to enable market opportunities

Munich, December 18, 2019 - European Space Agency members agreed last month to the highest ever budget for the agency's next three-year program.
 

The ESA's Ministerial Council, which met to decide on new proposals and funding for the ESA under the working title Space19+, focused on several programs for the next funding period with optical communications prime among them.
 

The budget for Space19+ includes various key initiatives and puts a big emphasis on optical communications with an allocated budget for the sector as part of the Scylight and HydRON initiatives. Funds of more than €500 million have been allocated to these two key initiatives alone according to industry news.
 

The ESA has made clear its commitment to the full value chain of the European optical communications industry - from manufacturers to operators - as it aims to place Europe at the leading edge of the increasingly important global laser communications market.
 

The agency's support encompasses both the Scylight strategic program to promote Europe's work on optical communications in the commercial satellite communications domain and the HydRON project charged with developing and demonstrating, by 2025, all elements of an all optical Terabit satellite network integrated into the terrestrial network architecture to build essentially optical fiber in the sky.
 

According to the ESA, the projects will be developed in close cooperation with industry with specific attention given to supporting SMEs and their industrial competitiveness. Industry-led activities will receive more intense support from the ESA as it strives to enable market opportunities for a wide range of products and services, including optical terminals for space, air and the ground. Focus is on the development of an open competition between multiple industrial players and the display of their respective capabilities, exemplarily through in-orbit demonstrations.
 

"ESA is doing the right thing in betting big on laser communications' role in space applications. We have been stating for years that our technology will have a profound impact on the value chain and the ESA's highest-ever budget allocation for optical communication confirms this view. We are very happy to see that ESA now has the funds to support the strengthening of a strong and diversified European supply chain for laser communications in space and we look forward to continuing to lead the industrialization of this key technology."
Bulent Altan, Member of the Mynaric Executive Board

 

Notes to Editors
ESA's Ministerial Councils bring together ESA's Member States and observers every two to three years to decide on new proposals and funding for ESA's next years of work. The most recent one, called 'Space19+', was held in late November 2019. European ministers in charge of space activities gathered in Sevilla, Spain, to decide on the ESA's vision for the future of Europe in space. Optical communications initiatives will be mainly supported as part of the satellite communications program which has been defined as key area for Europe's industry.

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About Mynaric
Mynaric is a manufacturer of laser communication technologies used to enable communication and surveillance applications in air and space. Its wireless laser data transmission products include ground and flight terminals, which allow very large quantities of data to be sent wirelessly and securely over long distances between aircraft, autonomous drones, high-altitude platforms, satellites and the ground.
 

Globally, the need for fast and secure connectivity is advancing inexorably. Data networks are today largely based on infrastructure on the ground, which cannot be expanded arbitrarily for legal, economic or practical reasons. The future therefore calls for an expansion of the existing network infrastructure into air and space. With its wireless laser communication products Mynaric is positioned as a prime pioneer in this growth market.
 

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