欧洲在地球轨道即将建成利用激光光束传输太空数据信息的“高速公路网”。网络的一个重要环节是从哈萨克斯坦拜科努尔发射的一颗通信卫星。卫星将使用激光通讯来收集其他航天器拍摄的地球图像,然后将其传到地面。新科技的好处之一是把有关自然灾害的信息更快传给紧急救援人员,比如洪水和地震情况。 Europe will soon be building a “highway network” that uses laser beams to transmit space data information. An important link in the network is a communications satellite launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The satellites will use laser communications to collect Earth images taken by other spacecraft and then pass them on to the ground. One of the benefits of the new technology is the faster transmission of information about natural disasters to emergency workers, such as floods and earthquakes.