30 June 2025 – Thales Alenia Space has been selected by the French space agency CNES, as part of the space component of the France 2030 program launched by the French government, to develop a very-high-throughput laser communications demonstrator. Called SOLiS – for Service Optique de Liaisons Spatiales Sécurisées (secure optical space link service) – this project aims to demonstrate the technical and economic viability of an optical communications service relying on geostationary satellites. Such a service is designed to make intercontinental networks more resilient at a time when there is a growing number of acts of sabotage targeting land and undersea optical fiber links. Geostationary satellites offer an effective and cost-effective solution for ultra-secure transfers of large amounts of data between two users on Earth, delivering very high data rates of up to one terabit per second despite distances and atmospheric disturbances. Read more