Laser communications in super-geosynchronous earth orbit

A method for communications, the method comprising:

• transmitting, by at least one laser on at least one first satellite, at least one first transmit signal;
• receiving, by at least one detector on the at least one first satellite, at least one first receive signal;
• determining, with at least one processor on the at least one first satellite, whether at least one atmospheric event has occurred based on a radiation level of radiation data;
• and
• adapting, by the at least one processor, at least one of using longer interleavers, increasing an interleaver delay, using codecs for an increase in redundancy, lowering a data rate, or modifying a modulation format of a subsequent transmission of the at least one first transmit signal according to the radiation level of the radiation data,
• wherein the at least one first satellite is in super-geosynchronous Earth orbit (S-GEO),
• wherein the at least one first transmit signal and the at least one first receive signal are laser signals and have a field of regard covering one hemisphere of the Earth, and
• wherein the at least one first satellite operates autonomously without ground intervention.