German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Communications and Navigation in Oberpfaffenhofen
CAPANINA Coarse Pointing Assembly:

Very precise dual-axis autotracking of a laser beam used for high bandwidth optical data transmission (1.25 GBits/s) from the stratosphere down to earth. Successful maiden flight in 2004 on a research balloon operating from a height of 23 km over a total distance of up to 64 km.