NASA achieved a milestone in data transmission: a laser signal was sent 460 million kilometers to the “Psyche” space probe. Why this is important.
The American space agency NASA recently achieved a record. Using “Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC)” technology, a laser signal could be sent from Earth to the “Psyche” space probe – over a distance of 460 million kilometers.
This distance corresponds to the distance from Mars to Earth when both planets are furthest apart. The fact that the experiment was successful is a milestone for NASA. Laser communication over such a large distance requires a lot of precision work.
And that’s not all. With this new technology, it could be possible in the future to quickly transmit scientifically complex information as well as high-resolution images and videos – essential for future manned missions to Mars and beyond.
NASA had already successfully transmitted data from Earth to the “Psyche” space probe, which was launched into space almost a year ago. This included digital artwork and ultra-high-resolution videos – such as the clip of a cat playing with a laser pointer. At that time, however, this data covered a distance of “only” almost 31 million kilometers.
The DSOC flight laser transceiver on “Psyche” (a transceiver is a combination of transmitter and receiver) has now been switched off before it will be switched on again on November 4th. This is to ensure that the hardware can still be used later. The space probe is on its way to the asteroid of the same name “Psyche” to explore it.