LASER TRANSMISSION FROM DEEP SPACE SHOWS CAT VIDEO
In a historic first, NASA has transmitted a high-definition video from deep space using a laser. The video, sent from nearly 19 million miles away aboard NASA’s Psyche mission, stars a cat named Taters as it chases a laser pointer across a couch.
The technology used for this transmission, known as the Deep Space Optical Communications experiment (DSOC), could revolutionize data transmission as humans push the limits of space exploration by venturing to places like Mars. The 15-second video was encoded in a near-infrared laser and beamed from the Psyche spacecraft to the Hale Telescope at the California Institute of Technology’s Palomar Observatory. The video was then streamed live at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
At the time of the transmission, the distance between the Psyche spacecraft and the Hale Telescope was 80 times the distance between Earth and the moon, and it only took 101 seconds for the laser to reach Earth. The laser used in this transmission can send data at 10 to 100 times the speed of traditional radio wave systems.
“This accomplishment underscores our commitment to advancing optical communications as a key element to meeting our future data transmission needs,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. “Increasing our bandwidth is essential to achieving our future exploration and science goals, and we look forward to the continued advancement of this technology and the transformation of how we communicate during future interplanetary missions.”
The cat video was uploaded to DSOC before the launch of the Psyche mission, and it includes a graphics overlay showcasing Psyche’s orbital path, the Palomar telescope dome, and Taters’ color, breed, and heart rate. Despite being transmitted from millions of miles away, the video was able to be sent faster than most broadband internet connections.
This successful test of the DSOC technology marks a significant milestone in the development of high-bandwidth laser communications for deep space missions. As the technology continues to improve, it has the potential to transform how data, imagery, and videos are transmitted during future interplanetary missions.