NASA to Test Laser Communication on Resupply Mission to ISS
Spacecraft have traditionally relied on radio-based communication systems to communicate with Earth, but NASA is now exploring the use of lasers for interstellar communication. In an announcement last month, NASA revealed that its next resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will include a terminal that will demonstrate the potential benefits of laser communication.
The installation of this terminal aims to enable the transmission of more data to and from space, thereby facilitating accelerated discoveries about the universe. By employing invisible lasers on the infrared spectrum, this technology can pack up to 100 times more data into a single transmission compared to radio-based systems. This breakthrough could significantly hasten research on Earth and simplify the communication process between missions and the planet’s surface.
The refrigerator-sized relay, as described by NASA officials, will empower astronauts aboard the ISS to send high-resolution data, including images and videos. The communications will traverse from the space station to the relay and then be transmitted to ground stations in Hawaii and California.
“We are integrating this technology on demonstrations near Earth, at the Moon, and in deep space,” said Badri Younes, former deputy associate administrator for NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program.
This current laser device represents a notable advancement over previous experiments. In 2013, NASA successfully demonstrated the capability of transmitting and receiving laser communications from lunar orbit, but at a rate of just 622 megabits per second. In contrast, the current laser terminal can transmit data at a speed of 1.2 gigabits per second.
If this experiment proves successful, NASA envisions it becoming a permanent fixture in its communications system. Moreover, it may potentially be deployed on future missions to the moon, Mars, and other parts of space.
As NASA ventures further into space exploration, laser communication technology showcases its potential to revolutionize interstellar communication and expedite scientific discoveries.