A laser beam was captured by NASA and, with it, also a message transmitted 226 million kilometers away. This is one and a half times what separates the Earth from the Sun. A new record that was beaten by the Psyche probe, the American space agency’s spacecraft launched in October 2023 and traveling towards the asteroid of the same name.
According to experts, the innovative laser communication technology on board Psyche, called Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC), “far exceeds the 1 Mbps target expected from that distance” and made it possible to send a copy of the technical data that is normally sent via radio waves to NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN).
The Psyche probe sent a laser message
A laser beam containing a message has been captured by NASA, a result that has exceeded all expectations and which opens up very promising future scenarios in the exploration of the deepest and most distant space. It actually happened to one considerable distance, where communications are usually anything but simple and quick. This is an important step also in view of the missions to Mars, which occurred thanks to a cutting-edge system located on the NASA space probe headed towards the asteroid Psyche 16.
The optical system, based on near-infrared lasers, should significantly increase the bandwidth for transmissions compared to those based on radio waves currently used as the main means of communication, so as to be able to transfer more data to our planet. It all happened 226 million kilometers away.
“This represents a milestone significant for the project as it shows how optical communications can interface with a spacecraft’s radio frequency communications system,” said Meera Srinivasan of NASA’s JPL.
The data, considering both the outward and return journeys, traveled for approx 450 million kilometers, now we must face the variable weather conditions on Earth, which could interrupt transmissions. To obtain better results there must not be clouds that are too thick, on the contrary: the ideal would be a completely clear sky.
The Deep Space Optical Communications system of Nasa Psyche it is not yet the main one, other tests will be necessary first, both in low Earth orbit and at increasing distances, but it still represents – already now – a turning point for sending and receiving data from Space.
What is the NASA probe directed towards the asteroid for?
The probe made it possible to send a signal through space with a technology that is being studied with a view to important developments expeditions to Mars. The latest achievement in a series that began in 2023 and has recorded speeds 10 to 100 times greater than cutting-edge radio frequency systems currently used in deep space missions. To give you a concrete idea, it can be compared to the download speed of broadband Internet.
Even if the weather conditions and distance are still important interferences, the probe’s journey towards the asteroid continues to be important and to record effects that no one would have expected.
