NASA's laser communication technology: Successfully tested for live space feeds

Laser communication technology uses infrared light to transmit data, which can travel 10 to 100 times faster than radio waves
An undated image of NASAs laser communication technology. — NASA
An undated image of NASA's laser communication technology. — NASA

Imagine a live, high-definition video feed of astronauts walking about on the Moon's surface, projected directly onto your living room TV. Well, that is what might just become possible with NASA's newest technology — laser communication.

This new technology is going to transform the ways how we communicate to the space by enabling a more faster and reliable data transfer.

NASA tested laser communications in space for the first time recently by streaming 4K video footage from an aircraft to the International Space Station (ISS) and back.

How it works?

The laser communication technology uses infrared light to transmit data, which can travel 10 to 100 times faster than radio waves.

This means that the live video feeds from the space can be transmitted in real-time, without the delay associated with traditional radio communication.

Read more: NASA's Curiosity rover discovered Sulfur crystals on Mars

NASA’s laser communication test was equipped with an aircraft along with a portable laser terminal that flew over the Lake Erie transmitting data to the centre in Cleveland.

Moreover, from there the data was transmitted to the NASA's New Mexico test facility, where scientists controlled the process of beaming data up to the agency's Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) satellite, 22,000 miles away.

The LCRD then relayed the data to the ILLUMA-T terminal on the ISS.