Inter-satellite communication device, associated satellite and associated constellation of satellites

An inter-satellite communication device for satellites configured to orbit within a constellation of satellites, a satellite comprising a satellite platform,

• said device comprising a group of at least one optical terminal dedicated, under nominal conditions, to intra-orbital plane communication links and a group of at least one optical terminal dedicated, under nominal conditions, to inter-orbital plane communication links,
• each optical terminal dedicated to intra-orbital plane communications being configured to transmit and receive optical signals with an optical terminal of an identical satellite orbiting in the same orbital plane,
• each optical terminal dedicated to inter-orbital plane communications being configured to transmit and receive optical signals with an optical terminal of an identical satellite in an orbital plane that is adjacent over the entirety of its orbit in its orbital plane and
• each optical terminal dedicated to inter-orbital plane communications being configured and arranged within the inter-satellite communication device so as to have a field of regard such that the half-angle at the vertex θm of the latter is larger than the maximum value of the azimuthal angle θ over a revolution around the Earth.