Space-qualified photonic components and subsystems powering the SatLight™ terminal family. From electro-optic modulators with 200+ GHz bandwidth to fiber optic gyroscopes at 5× lower cost — vertically integrated across a 100% US supply chain.
The PTU is NantNova's electro-optic modulator platform built on proprietary TFLN and Enhanced TFLN (ETFLN) technology. Using ion-sliced lithium niobate films at ~200 nm thickness, the PTU delivers over 200 GHz electro-optic bandwidth with sub-1.5V drive voltage — enabling DSP-less operation at 0.3–0.5 pJ/bit, a 20× improvement over conventional DSP-based optics.
The heterogeneously integrated silicon photonics/TFLN platform is CMOS-fab compatible and supports PAM4 modulation from 800G to 3.2T data rates for AI interconnect and space laser communication applications.
The OAU provides space-qualified optical amplification across NantNova's product lines. Featuring EDFAs, EYDFAs, and semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs), the unit delivers the transmit power required for inter-satellite links at ranges up to 6,000 km — with flight-proven components deployed in JAXA's LEO-to-GEO optical link for over 3 years.
Supporting wavelengths at 1536 nm and 1553 nm for OCT applications and 1064 nm for high-energy programs, the OAU scales from 1W compact terminals to 5W+ high-gain configurations with space-rated reliability.
The OFE is NantNova's optical receiver subsystem, converting incoming photons to electrical signals with high sensitivity for deep-space and inter-satellite links. Built around InGaAs avalanche photodiodes (APDs) and quad photodetectors (QPDs), the OFE achieves 76.5% end-to-end coupling efficiency from telescope aperture to detector.
The receiver chain integrates dichroic filters for wavelength separation, beam splitters for tracking/data paths, and fiber collimators — all optimized for the SatLight OCT optical path with Tx at 1536 nm and Rx at 1553 nm.
The LDR is a compact Pulsed Doppler LiDAR and FMCW LaDAR system designed for space range finding, target tracking, and fine pointing acquisition. With a 10 km operational range in a 200 × 200 × 85 mm form factor, the LDR provides precision range and velocity data for orbital rendezvous, debris tracking, and defense applications.
Integrated with NantNova's optical communication terminals, the LDR supports the pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) chain — providing laser range finding for fire-control solutions and fine track operations with INS+GPS fusion.
NantNova's inertial navigation product line (Aegiverse brand) delivers fiber optic gyroscope (FOG) based IMUs and AHRS at 5× lower cost than incumbent solutions. From the tactical-grade SG-3A single-axis FOG at 0.03°/hr bias instability to the navigation-grade TG-3P three-axis FOG at 0.01°/hr, the platform covers precision requirements from satellite attitude determination to autonomous vehicle navigation.
The hybrid FOG/MEMS AR-2A AHRS delivers 0.020° roll/pitch and 0.002° heading accuracy in a 300g package, while the compact GS-1X MEMS GNSS-INS provides 0.2° accuracy at just 105g for size-constrained platforms.
From high-bandwidth modulators to fiber optic gyroscopes, NantNova’s vertically integrated photonics deliver space-qualified performance with 100% US supply chain traceability.