Sounding-Rocket Pathfinder
BOLT
BOLT is our LiFi testbed. Building on the research of project SatelLight, we are part of the REXUS/BEXUS Programme, participating in the REXUS 37/38 campaign and flying on REXUS 37. It pushes light-based communications through launch loads and microgravity, helping us map out how optical links behave when the stakes - and the vibrations - are high.
The REXUS/BEXUS programme is realised under a bilateral Agency Agreement between the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Swedish National Space Agency (SNSA). The Swedish share of the payload has been made available to students from other European countries through a collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA). EuroLaunch, a cooperation between the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) and the Mobile Rocket Base (MORABA) of DLR, is responsible for the campaign management and operations of the launch vehicles. Experts from DLR, SSC, ZARM and ESA provide technical support to the student teams throughout the project. REXUS and BEXUS are launched from SSC, Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden.
BOLT explores LiFi for intra-satellite communication: a free-space optical link beaming data between subsystems without radio interference. The mission subjects the hardware to the same shocks, cold starts and potential faults we expect in orbit, giving us a realistic playbook for future payloads.
- ✦ Characterizes LiFi performance through launch vibration and thermal swings.
- ✦ Validates fault tolerance and redundancy.
- ✦ Tests serious faults to asses LiFi reliability.
- ✦ Feeds knowlegde directly into our CubeSat avionics and data-handling stack.
Guiding Principle
Optical-First
We prioritize a clean optical link to minimize electromagnetic interference inside the spacecraft bus, enabling new kinds of experiments.
What We Measure
Resilience
The flight collects throughput, latency, and dropout statistics across all flight stages, as well as during faults induced by us.
Why It Matters
Path to Orbit
BOLT aims to test what LiFi is capable of and if its viable for space applications. If found viable, the findings could next fly on our CubeSat missions.
1. Hardware Integration
Prototype LiFi modules, power systems, and data handling boards assembled for full-stack bench testing.
2. Environmental Trials
Vibration, thermal, and EMI tests gauge how the optical link survives launch stress and noisy avionics.
3. Campaign Rehearsals
Ground-console procedures, uplink scripts, and data review pipelines drilled to match the REXUS timeline.
4. Flight & Debrief
Launch, recover, and analyze every packet to tune optical comms for the next-generation CubeSat missions.