frame_03_4K.png

Golden Gate Project

Project Summary

Challenge

Modern commercial aircraft generate rapidly growing volumes of operational and sensor data. Existing wireless and wired communication technologies cannot transfer these data volumes within the limited turnaround time between flights, creating a bottleneck for data-driven aviation services.

Project

The project develops and validates a laboratory demonstrator for high-speed aircraft-to-ground data transfer based on wireless optical communication. It combines advanced onboard data handling with innovative communication technologies to enable the efficient, reliable, and secure transfer of large flight data volumes.

Impact

The project will demonstrate the feasibility of transferring aircraft data within typical turnaround times, providing a scalable foundation for future connected aviation applications such as predictive maintenance, operational optimization, and more efficient aircraft operations.

Project Partners

  • Leads the project and develops the core optical and electronic technologies enabling the wireless communication link between aircraft and ground, including precision control and alignment systems.

  • Focuses on sensor data generation using real and simulated aircraft sensors, as well as the aircraft-side data acquisition and storage system, and supports system integration and validation.

  • Focuses on advanced physical layer techniques, including transmission and channel coding schemes, network topologies, and channel control algorithms, to enable reliable, high-speed optical communication between aircraft and ground.

  • Focuses on optimized storage and data management, including efficient data organisation and stream control, to support reliable handling and distribution of high-rate sensor data.

Supported by the German Federal Government

GoldenGate is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy under grant number 20Q2421, following a resolution of the German Bundestag. The 42-month collaborative project is supported within the SME joint project programme of the German Aeronautical Research Programme LuFo VII-1, which promotes innovative research and development in aviation.