Kirari & Reimei

Reimei, or INDEX (Innovative Technology Demonstration Experiment) was built by JAXA and has a mass of 60kg. It was delivered to Baikonur on July 12, 2005 by an An-72.

OICETS (Optical Inter-orbit Communication Engineering Test Satellite), or Kirari, enables communications between satellites via optical links. OICETS will enable optical inter-orbit communications tests between satellites that are tens of thousands of kilometers apart. An optical inter-orbit communications system will bring various advantages: more stable communications with less interference; lighter, more compact communications equipment; and higher data transmission rates. These tests are expected to lead to new technologies that will support the development and utilization of space, including global data reception from Earth Observation satellites and continuous communication links with a manned space station. OICETS is to be launched into a low Earth orbit in the fiscal year 2005, in order to conduct demonstrations with ARTEMIS, the latest geostationary satellite belonging to the European Space Agency (ESA).