On September 25, 2019, The H-II Transfer Vehicle known as "KOUNOTORI8" (HTV8), the cargo transporter to the International Space Station (ISS), was launched aboard H-IIB Launch Vehicle No. 8 from the JAXA Tanegashima Space Center.
Aboard it was the "Small Optical Link for International Space Station" (SOLISS), a long-distance laser communication system that aims to establish a mass-data communication system for future inter-satellite communications and communications with ground stations. This system was jointly developed by Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc. (Sony CSL) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and features Sony's optical disk technology that is used in household devices such as CD players.
Why is Sony bringing its optical disk technology to space?
In this video, the project members explain their goals and aspirations in this ambitious experiment.