The high volume of satellites required by mega-constellations to provide a global coverage and at the same time the small physical size of each satellite, impose stringent requirements on the cost, size, weight & power consumption (C-SWAP) of the “lasercom modems”; the systems that deliver the transmission and reception of the laser communication beams within the satellite optical network. Using conventional fiber optic technology will not “do the trick”. The current lasercom terminals are built with discrete transceiver & amplifier components and as such systems are bulk, complex and expensive. To meet the challenge, satellite equipment vendors are ready to embrace a technology switch that will hit the right C-SWAP targets; such technology should leverage the great strength of photonic integration. This is the merge of elements and functionalities on chip-scale circuits that can be fabricated within semiconductor foundries just as electronic ICs are fabricated today for any high-volume consumer-based application.