Author: Katherine Schauer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center December 5, 2021

Illustration of the US Department of Defense Space Test Program Satellite 6 (STPSat-6) and the Laser Communication Relay Demonstration (LCRD) payload communicating data via an infrared link. Credit: NASA

Our TVs and computer screens display news, movies and programs in high definition, giving viewers a clear and vibrant experience. The optical fiber connection sends a laser with dense data through the cable to bring these experiences to users.

NASA and commercial aerospace companies are applying similar technologies to space communications, bringing the speed of light to the forefront. Free-space optical communication uses the latest developments in telecommunications to allow spacecraft to send high-resolution images and videos via laser links.

"Free space" refers to insulated fiber optic cables that do not support terrestrial Internet. Free-space laser communication flows freely in the vacuum of space, but the atmosphere presents unique challenges to communication engineers.

NASA's Laser Communication Relay Demonstration (LCRD) will send data to and from the ground station through the laser link, and finally send the space user mission.

The experimental optical communication terminal hosted on the International Space Station communicates with LCRD. Credit: NASA

"LCRD has used the work done in the telecommunications industry over the past few decades. We are taking the concepts they created and applying them to space," said Russ Roder, head of product design for LCRD optical modules. "The trick is that we must optimize space technology."

The mission of LCRD will be used to prove the technology through experimental testing of laser communication capabilities by NASA, other government agencies, academia, and especially the commercial aerospace industry. Industry-developed experiments will enable companies to test their own technology, software, and capabilities. NASA is providing these opportunities to increase its knowledge system about laser communications and promote its business use.

Although LCRD's experimenter program will allow NASA and industry to test and improve technology, the agency and the commercial sector have been demonstrating and using laser communications for decades.

LCRD transmits data from the space station to the earth. Image Credit: NASA/Dave Ryan

Generally, commercial efforts have been focused on the development of air-to-air laser systems for low-Earth orbit. The company is investing in a satellite constellation that uses laser communications to provide global broadband coverage. The proposed constellation has hundreds to thousands of satellites, creating an extensive space laser communication network. Commercial constellations still mainly rely on radio frequency links to send data back to the earth. The LCRD uses lasers for space and direct ground communication.

Although the industry is focusing on space optical communications to support ground users, NASA is demonstrating the ability to directly connect to the ground from a geosynchronous orbit to improve communications capabilities for future missions. Through airborne laser communication, the mission will be able to transmit more data than traditional radio frequency communication in a single transmission.

"Due to turbulence, the Earth’s atmosphere can distort the laser beam. Understanding these challenges is critical to achieving operational optical communication relay capabilities," said Jason Mitchell, Director of Advanced Communications and Navigation Technology Division, Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program at NASA Headquarters Say.

Relying on these two different but complementary goals, NASA is also cooperating with the industry to further improve the laser communication hardware. In fact, LCRD includes commercially designed and built components as well as custom systems developed by NASA. The optical modules that send lasers to and from the payload were designed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory and built at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. However, many parts of LCRD come from companies such as L3Harris Technologies, SEAKR Engineering, Moog Inc., and Sierra Nevada Corporation. These include telescope systems, controller electronics, and space switching units-all of which are critical to LCRD operation.

Low-cost optical terminal (LCOT). Credit: NASA

In addition, NASA's Low-Cost Optical Terminal (LCOT) will use off-the-shelf commercial or slightly modified hardware to reduce costs and speed up implementation. NASA relies on a strong domestic aerospace industry and hopes that these investments will enable the US government to purchase future laser communications hardware and services. This will reduce costs while enabling more tasks to use laser communications.

NASA is committed to promoting the growing space economy and commercial aerospace community to encourage technological innovation/reduce costs for all users. This dedication extends to new technologies and new capabilities, such as laser communication systems.

The U.S. Department of Defense’s Space Test Program Satellite 6 (STPSat-6) is part of the Space Test Program 3 (STP-3) mission. It will be launched from Cape Canaveral on the Joint Launch Alliance Atlas V 551 rocket. The troop station was launched into the air. Florida no earlier than December 7, 2021. STP is managed by the Space Systems Command of the U.S. Space Force.

LCRD is led by Goddard and works with Jet Propulsion Laboratory and MIT Lincoln Laboratory. LCRD’s funding comes from NASA’s Technology Demonstration Mission Program (part of the Space Technology Mission Council) and the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program at NASA’s headquarters in Washington, DC

Lasers in space do not travel faster than radio or microwaves-they are both electromagnetic waves. Lasers have higher frequencies, so they can transmit more data per second.

They will not be able to focus the laser at long distances.

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