NASA has successfully demonstrated the use of laser communication technology to transmit data from a spacecraft 19 million miles away from Earth. The data included a high-definition cat video, which was sent back to Earth in less than a minute.
What is Laser Communication and Why is it Important?
Laser communication, or optical communication, is a method of encoding and transmitting information using infrared light instead of radio waves. Both radio waves and infrared light are forms of electromagnetic radiation, but infrared light has a much higher frequency, which allows more data to be packed into each transmission.
Laser communication has several advantages over radio communication, especially for deep space missions. It can provide higher data rates, lower power consumption, smaller and lighter equipment, and more secure and reliable links. Laser communication can enable future missions to send back more scientific data, high-resolution images, and even stream video from the farthest reaches of the solar system.
How Did NASA Test Laser Communication from Deep Space?
NASA tested laser communication from deep space using the Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment, which is attached to the Psyche spacecraft. Psyche is a mission that will explore a metal-rich asteroid of the same name, located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Psyche is scheduled to launch on Oct. 13, 2023, and arrive at the asteroid in 2029.
The DSOC experiment consists of a flight laser transceiver on the spacecraft and two ground telescopes on Earth. The flight laser transceiver has a near-infrared laser transmitter to send data to Earth and a sensitive photon-counting camera to receive a laser beam from Earth. The ground telescopes are located at the Table Mountain facility in California and the Palomar Observatory in California. They have high-power near-infrared laser transmitters and detectors to communicate with the flight laser transceiver.
The DSOC experiment was activated for the first time on Dec. 18, 2023, when the Psyche spacecraft was about 19 million miles away from Earth, on its way to a gravity assist flyby of Mars. The experiment performed a series of tests to establish and maintain a laser link between the spacecraft and the ground telescopes. The tests included sending and receiving commands, telemetry, and data.
What Kind of Data Did NASA Send Back Using Laser Communication?
One of the most remarkable data that NASA sent back using laser communication was a high-definition cat video. The video was 3.6 terabytes in size and was transmitted in less than a minute, at a rate of 200 gigabits per second. This is equivalent to sending thousands of hours of HD footage or one million songs to Earth at a time.
The cat video was chosen as a demonstration of the high-bandwidth and high-quality data transmission that laser communication can provide. The video was also a tribute to the internet culture and the popularity of cat videos online. The video featured various cats doing cute and funny things, such as playing, sleeping, and chasing lasers.
The cat video was not the only data that NASA sent back using laser communication. The experiment also sent back images of the Earth and the Moon, taken by the Psyche spacecraft’s camera. The images showed the Earth and the Moon as tiny dots in the vastness of space, highlighting the distance and the challenge of communicating from deep space.
What are the Future Plans and Applications of Laser Communication?
The DSOC experiment is not the only laser communication project that NASA is working on. NASA is also developing the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD), which will use laser communication systems to transmit data from low-Earth orbit to geosynchronous orbit and back to Earth. LCRD will be launched in 2024 and will operate for at least two years, testing the performance and reliability of laser communication in various conditions.
NASA plans to use laser communication for future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. For example, the Orion spacecraft, which will carry astronauts to the Moon as part of the Artemis program, will use laser communication to send back high-resolution video and data. The Mars Sample Return mission, which will bring back rock and soil samples from Mars, will use laser communication to speed up the data transmission and reduce the delay. The Europa Clipper mission, which will explore the icy moon of Jupiter, will use laser communication to send back more data and images of the intriguing world.
Laser communication will also benefit other space agencies and commercial partners, who can use the technology to enhance their own missions and services. Laser communication will open up new possibilities and opportunities for scientific discovery and exploration of the solar system and beyond.
