NASA’s Laser Technology
Streaming 4K Video from the Moon to the International Space Station.
NASA has successfully tested 4K video streaming via lasers, aiming to deliver live coverage of a Moon landing during the Artemis missions, which also promises advancements in optical communications for future connections to Mars and beyond.
Normally, NASA uses radio waves to send data and talk between the surface to space but says that laser communications using infrared light can transmit data 10 – 100 times faster than radios.
Engineers equipped an airplane with a portable laser terminal, which then flew over Lake Erie to transmit data to the center in Cleveland. From there, the data travelled through a terrestrial network to NASA’s test facility in New Mexico, where scientists managed the process of sending it up to the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) satellite 22,000 miles away. The LCRD then sent the data to the ILLUMA-T terminal on the ISS.
Despite delays in the Artemis missions, the fourth mission, which will return humans to the Moon, remains scheduled for 2028. By that time, we may be able to watch clear 4K livestreams of astronauts on the Moon on mainstream 8K TVs.
NASA’s innovative use of laser communications marks a significant leap forward in space technology. With each successful test, NASA brings us closer to a future where high-speed, high-quality space communication is a reality.
