Sony is partnering with California-based Astro Digital to test laser communications from two small satellites using optical disc technology pioneered by the Japanese conglomerate in compact disc players. The two spacecraft will be based on Astro Digital’s Corvus satellite platform and will be ready for launch in 2026, the companies said in a brief press release on Nov. 12.

Each satellite will carry a Lasercom optical terminal from Sony Space Communications Corporation (SSCC), a California-based Sony subsidiary formed in 2022 to commercialize the technology after testing between the International Space Station and a ground station in Japan.

SSCC aims to test high-speed optical communications links between satellites and the ground, as well as between satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO).

SSCC president Kyohei Iwamoto said the company aims to demonstrate a more compact and lightweight terminal that requires less power than other devices on the market, allowing smaller satellites to use high-speed laser communications rather than relying on radio waves.

Although Astro Digital specializes in satellites weighing up to 10 kilograms, it told SpaceNews that each demonstration spacecraft will weigh at least 50 kilograms.

He also said DCAU had already found customers for the terminals but did not specify which ones. Spurred by strong demand from the U.S. Space Agency, many companies, including SpaceX, are pursuing the nascent market for smaller, more efficient laser communications.

Laser technology is seen as an important high-speed alternative in space communications as the increasing number of low-orbit satellites puts increasing pressure on the limited radio frequency spectrum.