Conclusion
Optical space communications systems

Optical space communications benefit from the extraordinary development of optoelectronic techniques for terrestrial fiber communications. Optical inter-satellite links already promise to revolutionize Internet access thanks to low-orbit constellations. The ever-increasing demand for the transfer of huge quantities of data offers a new opportunity for cross-atmospheric optical links, which are still in their infancy. However, technical and economic challenges remain, underlining the need for ongoing collaboration between researchers, industry and space agencies to fully realize these promising technological advances.