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SPACE LASERS COULD BEAM INFORMATION TO EARTH BY THE END OF THE YEAR

'We are integrating this technology on demonstrations near Earth, at the Moon,
and in deep space,' says a NASA representative.

By Andrew Paul | Published Aug 31, 2023 4:00 PM EDT

 * Technology
 * Science


Lasers can transmit far more information than their radio counterparts.
NASA/Dave Ryan
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By year’s end, NASA will begin testing a fridge-sized laser communications
upgrade aboard the International Space Station. It’s a major relay system
demonstration for the ISS, and one which could chart a path forward for how
humans communicate not just in low-orbit, but on the lunar surface and beyond. 

Although radio has long served as both piloted and unpiloted missions’ primary
communications method, as Space.com notes, laser communication arrays boast a
number of benefits. From a purely logistical standpoint, the equipment is both
cheaper and lighter-weight than radio devices. Meanwhile, lasers’ shorter
wavelengths ensure far more information can be transferred at one time compared
to radio waves.

Once launched aboard a forthcoming SpaceX commercial resupply services mission,
NASA’s Integrated LCRD Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal
(ILLUMA-T) will work alongside the agency’s Laser Communications Relay
Demonstration (LCRD) launched in December 2021. ILLUMA-T will use infrared light
to send and receive laser communications at a higher data rate than previously
available. Once installed, these transmissions’ higher rates will allow for more
videos and images to transmit back to Earth, all at around 1.2
gigabits-per-second—comparable to a solid internet connection here on Earth.



[Related: NASA is testing space lasers to shoot data back to Earth.]

“Laser communications offer missions more flexibility and an expedited way to
get data back from space,” said Badri Younes, former deputy associate
administrator for NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program. “We
are integrating this technology on demonstrations near Earth, at the Moon, and
in deep space.”

After installation, ILLUMA-T will first beam data to-and-from the LCRD satellite
hovering 22,000 miles above Earth in geosynchronous orbit. Meanwhile, the LCRD
will transmit data back to Earth at two stations in California and Hawaii—spots
chosen for their comparatively low cloud cover, which often impedes laser
transmissions.

“ILLUMA-T is not the first mission to test laser communications in space but
brings NASA closer to operational infusion of the technology,” NASA wrote in a
recent statement,  In 2022, a small CubeSat in low Earth orbit began testing
laser communications as part of the TeraByte InfraRed Delivery System. Before
that, the Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration also transferred data
to-and-from lunar orbit during 2014’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment
Explorer mission. Still, NASA explains that all of these tests combined will
further help advance aerospace communications between Earth, the moon, Mars, and
beyond.

Andrew Paul

Andrew Paul is Popular Science's staff writer covering tech news. Previously, he
was a regular contributor to The A.V. Club and Input, and has had recent work
also featured by Rolling Stone, Fangoria, GQ, Slate, NBC, as well as McSweeney's
Internet Tendency. He lives outside Indianapolis.



International Space Station
NASA
Space
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