SILEX : THE FIRST EUROPEAN OPTICAL COMMUNICATION TERMINAL IN ORBIT

The objectives of SILEX are to perform optical communication link experimentation in orbit and to transmit SPOT-4 imagery to Artemis, which will relay it to the ground via its Ka-band payload. The use of the Artemis satellite in a high geostationary orbit allows communications to be achieved between SPOT-4 and its ground facilities in Europe over a much greater area of the globe than can be achieved directly (Fig. 2).