Washington: NASA, the American space agency, has successfully experimented with receiving messages from a spacecraft located 16 million kilometers away using laser signals.
NASA has achieved a significant breakthrough in space communication by successfully testing the Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) method, sending data over an astounding distance of 16 million kilometers. This revolutionary laser-based communication demonstrated aboard the Psyche spacecraft, is poised to transform data links between Earth and deep space exploratory missions.
The laser communication method, tested for the first time in deep space, involves the transmission of data in the form of bits embedded within the laser’s photons. The recent experiment showcased the successful exchange of data messages between the Psyche spacecraft and a telescope in Southern California.
The success of the DSOC test was described as achieving “first light,” representing the farthest-ever demonstration of optical communications at approximately 16 million kilometers. Trudy Kortes, Director of Technology Demonstrations at NASA, sees this event as a critical milestone, paving the way for future achievements in optical communication technology.
Traditionally reliant on radio frequency communications, NASA has now turned to DSOC, employing lasers for data transmission. This marks a departure from the slower radio frequency systems, potentially allowing for data rates up to 100 times faster. The system’s efficiency is highlighted by NASA’s estimation that it would take nine days, as opposed to nine weeks, to transmit a complete map of Mars back to Earth using the laser-based method.
Despite the complexities of laser communication over vast distances, the DSOC team accomplished the data transmission in about 50 seconds during the successful experiment on November 14.
As the Psyche spacecraft reaches its farthest point from Earth, DSOC’s near-infrared photons are expected to take about 20 minutes to travel back, showcasing the potential for enhanced data transmission in future deep space exploration. Jason Mitchell, a director in NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program, emphasizes that optical communication is a boon for scientists, enhancing human exploration of deep space and paving the way for numerous data discoveries in the future.
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