Communication links between GNSS satellites are required if the constellation shall operate for an extended time without ground contact. Under such circumstances, jamming resistance is considered a critical requirement and optical links can provide the ultimate protection from ground-to-space jamming. At the same time, low cost, high reliability and small size, mass and power are important to be implemented on a GNSS constellation. The activity shall review the requirements on intersatellite links based on the GNSS architecture.

Landslides are a well-known but so far less-investigated hazard and risk in the Cordillera Blanca. In this pilot study, EO information in combination with in-situ measurements and modelling was applied for investigating and monitoring landslide processes in this mountain region.

Extensive measurements over solar maximum will be carried out during the MONITOR activity under the GNSS Evolutions Programme and other experiments from external organisations. They will be able to provide a better insight on several processes affecting GNSS performance and they will have a proper basis for improved modelling. Such activities does not focus on a deep analysis of specific effects and the actual modelling of effects currently not considerd on average models.

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Satellite based optical communications in space is rapidly progressing, involving an increasing number of flight validations in LEO, GEO and beyond. Various space agencies successfully demonstrated both, optical Inter-Satellite communication Links (ISL's) which have been validated in flight experiments since 2001 and direct-to-Earth (DTE) optical communications.

Results of this pilot project provide new hints on landslide occurrence in high alpine environments, and shows the enormous potential of satellite-based techniques to map, classify and explore large bedrock instabilities that represent significant hazards throughout remote regions. Moreover, our findings are extremely important especially for developing countries as Bhutan, where systematic acquisition and exploitation of EO data can allow for a better evaluation of landslide hazard at relatively low costs.

The Optel-μ Implementation Study on ISS has been set up to assess the feasibility of an IOD (In Orbit Demonstration) of the Optel-μ Space Terminal on the ISS (International Space Station).
The Optel-μ system provides an optical data downlink from a LEO (Low Earth Orbit) S/C to an Optical Ground Station with a data rate up to 2Gbit/s. It is being developed by RUAG Space in the frame of the ARTES program

The objective of Silky Way is to explore the possibility of using spider dragline silk as sensing element for fibre-based biosensors by transmitting light through silk fibre and monitoring the change in the silk's optical properties induced by biochemical compounds

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