NASA Launches ‘Laser Communication Technology’ into Orbit

NASA introduced the new technology it will use in space missions last year. Thanks to the new technology called Laser Communication Relay Display (LCRD), the communication problem experienced in space missions will also be alleviated. As the quality of image and sound recordings from spacecraft increased over time, communication with radio waves slowed down considerably. But this new technology could be a big step forward for researchers.

NASA’s laser communication technology, called LCRD, will be launched into orbit by the US Space Force on December 5. The LCRD, which will be put to the test for at least two years, will try to transmit as much data as possible to the center as soon as possible. It is planned that this technology will be used in missions to the Moon and Mars if it gives positive results.

So, what’s the difference between laser communication?

As we mentioned above, data transmitted over existing radio frequencies can reach the receiver after a very long time. In the event of an emergency on space missions, the inability to communicate between the crew and the mission control center can be a major problem. An experiment also revealed that due to these disruptions in communication, task teams started to decide on their own after a while.

The communication provided by the laser is capable of transmitting 100 times more data in the same time. E.g; In a mission where the entire Mars is mapped, this data can reach the Earth with radio frequency in 9 weeks, while it can reach the Earth in 9 days with laser technology. The reason of this; infrared light (laser) has ‘waves’ much more frequent than radio frequency. This allows more data to be compressed into these ‘frequent waves’. In addition, thousands of satellites in orbit also cause radio waves to become more intense and data transmission more difficult. If this new technology is developed further in the coming years, space communication may undergo a radical change.