Kyocera Corporation (President: Hideo Tanimoto, hereinafter:
Kyocera) announced that its “Fine Cordierite” ceramic mirror has
been chosen for use in experimental equipment to conduct optical
communication between the International Space Station (ISS) and a
mobile optical station on Earth. This is the first time*1 that
cordierite has been adopted for such a purpose. *1 First time a
mirror made of cordierite ceramic was chosen for use in
experimental optical communications equipment in the ISS, based on
Kyocera research (2024)
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240614470872/en/
Kyocera’s Fine Cordierite Ceramic Mirror
(Photo: Business Wire)
For More Information regarding Kyocera’s Fine Cordierite
Ceramic Mirror, Please See:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xf-m8gz7yM
Kyocera’s Fine Cordierite ceramic mirror has been adopted in the
optical communication antenna (Quantum-Small Optical Link,
Hereinafter: QSOL) developed by Sony Computer Science Laboratories,
Inc. (President and CEO: Hiroaki Kitano, Hereinafter: Sony CSL).
Developed following a commission from Japan’s Ministry of Internal
Affairs and Communications, QSOL is an optical communication
antenna component for the Secure Laser Communications Terminal for
Low Earth Orbit, "SeCRETS", for on-orbit technology
demonstration.
This demonstration was conducted jointly by the National
Institute of Information and Communications Technology (President:
Hideyuki Tokuda, hereinafter: NICT), the School of Engineering, the
University of Tokyo (Dean: Yasuhiro Kato), the Next Generation
Space System Technology Research Association (President: Koji
Yamaguchi), SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation (Representative Director,
President and Chief Executive Officer: Eiichi Yonekura), and Sony
CSL.
Background of Material Selection
The current method for two-way data communication between Earth
observation satellites in space and ground stations involves using
optical wireless communication with either radio waves or visible
light. This communication is essential for acquiring image data for
weather forecasting, disaster response, and infrastructure
monitoring.
Advancements in the sensors installed on Earth observation
satellites have resulted in an increased volume of obtainable
observation data. However, there is a pressing need to rapidly
transmit large amounts of observation data to ground stations.
Achieving high-speed and high-capacity data communication has posed
a challenge for space infrastructure. To address this issue, the
implementation of laser-light optical communication is expected to
enable data transmission and reception at speeds over 100 times
faster than radio wave communication with significantly higher
capacity.
Additionally, to transmit data from satellites to specific
ground stations by optical communication, it is necessary to adjust
the light to the optimal angle using optical mirrors.
Conventionally, metal or glass mirrors have been used, but
nanoscale precision is required for adjusting light. Therefore,
mirrors with long-term stable dimensional accuracy and the ability
to withstand thermal expansion and temperature changes in the harsh
space environment are needed.
In this experiment, Kyocera's Fine Cordierite ceramic mirror was
installed in QSOL due to its unique thermal and mechanical
properties, such as low thermal expansion and long-term dimensional
stability.
With the success of this experiment, we believe that our
products can contribute to the construction of space infrastructure
aimed at achieving high-speed and high-capacity data communication
in satellite optical communication in the future.
Kyocera will continue to leverage its Fine Ceramic technology to
develop reliable components that contribute to research and
observation in the fields of astronomy and space.
Features of Kyocera’s Fine Cordierite Ceramic Mirror
Kyocera’s Fine Cordierite ceramic mirror possesses the following
four properties, achieved through our Fine Ceramic material and
firing technology developed over more than 65-years to enable
stable optical communication even in space.
(1) Low Thermal Expansion
The expansion and dimensional changes due to temperature
variations are extremely small, making it possible to apply them to
optical mirrors that require nanoscale precision.
(2) High Mechanical Strength and High Rigidity
Compared to low thermal expansion glass, Kyocera’s Fine
Cordierite ceramic mirror has 1.5 to 2 times higher mechanical
strength, offering greater rigidity compared to glass and enabling
weight reduction.
(3) Long-Term Dimensional Stability
Fine Cordierite exhibits excellent dimensional stability
compared to low thermal expansion glass, allowing for use over
extended periods without concern for dimensional changes.
(4) Radiation Resistance
Testing for radiation exposure confirmed that Fine Cordierite's
coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) remains unchanged, making it
ideal for space applications.
Kyocera will exhibit its Fine Cordierite ceramic mirror at
SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024, to be
held at Pacifico Yokohama (Yokohama City, Japan) from June 18- June
20. (Booth No. 314)
About SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation
2024
https://spie.org/conferences-and-exhibitions/astronomical-telescopes-and-instrumentation#_=_
For more information about Kyocera’s cordierite ceramic
mirror, please see:
https://global.kyocera.com/prdct/fc/product/category/life/life010.html
About the Experiment
SeCRETS was launched towards the ISS on August 2, 2023, and
installed on the external experiment platform of the "Kibo"
Japanese Experiment Module (Intermediate Space Environment
Experiment Platform [i-SEEP]). Subsequently, secret key sharing was
carried out using 10GHz clock optical communication from the ISS in
low orbit to a portable optical ground station on the ground, and
further successfully demonstrated secure communication between the
ISS and the ground station using one-time pad encryption with the
key*2. *2 successfully achieved secret key sharing and highly
secure communication between the ISS and ground. “Raising
expectations for the practical application of satellite quantum
encryption”. https://www.sonycsl.co.jp/press/prs20240418/ (Japanese
Only)
For more information about the experiments:
https://www.sonycsl.co.jp/press/prs20240423/?lang=en
SeCRETS was developed as part of the Ministry of Internal
Affairs and Communication "Research and Development Project for Key
ICT Technologies (JPMI00316)," specifically under "Research and
Development of Quantum Cryptography Technology in Satellite
Communications (JPJ007462)." (Reference) Ministry of Internal
Affairs and Communications Press Release dated June 14, 2018
Results of the Public Offering for Research and Development
Proposals in the 2018 Information and Communication Technology
Field
http://www.soumu.go.jp/menu_news/s-news/01tsushin03_02000247.html
About KYOCERA
Kyocera Corporation (TOKYO:6971, https://global.kyocera.com/),
the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was
founded in 1959 as a producer of fine ceramics (also known as
“advanced ceramics”). By combining these engineered materials with
metals and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has
become a leading supplier of industrial and automotive components,
semiconductor packages, electronic devices, smart energy systems,
printers, copiers, and mobile phones. During the year ended March
31, 2024, the company’s consolidated sales revenue totaled 2
trillion yen (approx. US$13.3 billion). Kyocera is ranked #672 on
Forbes magazine’s 2023 “Global 2000” list of the world’s largest
publicly traded companies, and has been named among “The World’s
100 Most Sustainably Managed Companies” by The Wall Street
Journal.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240614470872/en/
KYOCERA Corporation (Japan) Corporate Communications Head Office
TEL: +81-(0)75-604-3416 E-mail: webmaster.pressgl@kyocera.jp