A Miratlas Sky Monitor installation. Credit: Miratlas
TAMPA, Fla. — As space-to-ground laser communications move from demos to commercial reality, French startup Miratlas is seeking investors to expand atmospheric-monitoring technology that helps operators find the best sites for their weather-sensitive optical ground stations.
Miratlas is aiming to raise 20 million euros ($23 million) to grow its network of Sky Monitor sensors from roughly 60 sites worldwide to more than 150, said CEO Jean-Edouard Communal, a laser physics expert who cofounded the venture in 2018.
Each site hosts a mix of imaging, weather and astronomy-based instruments to measure cloud cover and atmospheric turbulence, two key obstacles for laser links between satellites and the ground.
That data feeds Lamarck, a database Communal says has grown to more than 20 terabytes, enabling operators to compare conditions across potential ground station locations and seasonal variations.
