Katarzyna Balakier
Events
Katarzyna Balakier
European Space Agency
Satellite Optical and Quantum Communication- Present Capabilities and Future Opportunities
The talk will focus on the evolution of and recent advancements in Satellite Optical and Quantum Communication. These include ESA's flagship mission, HydRON (High-thRoughput Optical Network), and the creation of a new initiative dedicated to the development of the Quantum Information Network (QIN). The emphasis is placed on the multi-orbital network that can be seamlessly integrated with the existing terrestrial fiber network as well as the development of optical and photonics technology under the ESA ScyLight program.
About the Speaker
Kasia Balakier is a Space Segment Engineer in the Telecommunications and Integrated Applications Directorate at the European Space Agency (ESA). She is a Technical Officer on multiple projects implementing photonics technology for satellite communication. Prior to that, she was a Lecturer in Photonics at University College London (UCL). In addition to her academic career, she was a Senior System Engineer and Expert in Telecom Payload Photonics at Airbus Defence and Space, where she worked on developing and implementing photonics systems for telecommunication and Earth observation satellites.
Kasia received her PhD in photonics from UCL. She was awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Fellowship to support her research in integrated microwave photonics for space. Prior to joining UCL, she worked as an Optical Engineer at SENER Ingeniería y Sistemas in Spain and an R&D Engineer at LG Electronics in Poland and South Korea.
