Transcelestial CEO outlines plans for laser communications in space
Transcelestial laser communications could help move data between satellites and future space-based data centres, CEO Rohit Jha told NYSE Live. His vision is a network of laser links around Earth that could serve as infrastructure for other space services.
In the interview, Jha explained that Transcelestial sends the light used in fibre-optic cables wirelessly. Its systems use artificial intelligence to aim and track lasers across long distances. The company already supplies communications links between cell towers and works with defence and national security customers.
Transcelestial laser communications could form the backbone of future satellite networks and space-based data centres, according to CEO Rohit Jha.
In an interview with NYSE Live, Jha described a network that would send data between satellites using lasers. Linked around Earth, those satellites could move large volumes of data across the globe, he said.
How Transcelestial laser communications could work in space
Jha said satellites equipped with the technology could send data to one another through laser links. Connected around the planet, they could form a high-capacity network for moving information over long distances.
That network is still an ambition. The interview did not establish when a global satellite system would be operating or independently verify its proposed capacity. For now, Jha is making the case for the infrastructure he believes a growing space industry will need.
The challenge for data centres in orbit
As companies explore placing computing infrastructure in space, they must also work out how to transfer data between satellites and back to Earth. Jha argued that laser communications could provide those connections.
He compared the challenge with data centres on Earth, which rely on high-capacity connections to move information in and out. Without suitable links, the potential computing capacity of an orbital data centre would be difficult to use.
Jha also drew a distinction between Transcelestial’s plans and satellite broadband services aimed at customers on the ground. He described the company’s proposed role as supplying a backbone that other operators could use to move data through space.
The idea brings an infrastructure question into focus: as more services are proposed for orbit, how will they communicate reliably at scale? Transcelestial laser communications are one proposed answer, but the company has yet to demonstrate the full network Jha described.
