NASA says "photonics dawning as the communications light"

Oct. 27, 2016
One major NASA priority is to use lasers to make space communications for both near-Earth and deep-space missions more efficient. NASA's have matured over the decades, but they still use the same radio-frequency (RF) system developed in the earliest days of the agency. After more than 50 years of using solely RF, NASA is investing in new ways to increase data rates while also finding more efficient communications systems. Photonics may provide the solution. Several centers across NASA are experimenting with laser communications, which has the potential to provide data rates at least 10 to 100 times better than RF.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-10-photonics-dawning-evolving-nasa-missions.html#jCp A NASA priority is to use lasers to make near-Earth and deep-space communications more efficient.  

One major NASA priority is to use lasers to make space communications for both near-Earth and deep-space missions more efficient. NASA's have matured over the decades, but they still use the same radio-frequency (RF) system developed in the earliest days of the agency. After more than 50 years of using solely RF, NASA is investing in new ways to increase data rates while also finding more efficient communications systems.

Photonics may provide the solution. Several centers across NASA are experimenting with laser communications, which has the potential to provide data rates at least 10 to 100 times better than RF.



Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-10-photonics-dawning-evolving-nasa-missions.html#jCp
One major NASA priority is to use lasers to make space communications for both near-Earth and deep-space missions more efficient. NASA's communications systems have matured over the decades, but they still use the same radio-frequency (RF) system developed in the earliest days of the agency. After more than 50 years of using solely RF, NASA is investing in new ways to increase data rates while also finding more efficient communications systems. Photonics may provide the solution. Several centers across NASA are experimenting with laser communications, which has the potential to provide data rates at least 10 to 100 times better than RF. These higher speeds would support increasingly sophisticated instruments and the transmission of live video from anywhere in the solar system.
Laser Focus World's take: Laser-based space communications are already the norm as far as we're concerned, and we've been writing about it for decades. Here is a sampling of informative editorial on the subject:
-- Free-space communications
-- Laser space instrumentation
-- Earth to Moon and even Mars communication

Sponsored Recommendations

March 31, 2025
Enhance your remote sensing capabilities with Chroma's precision-engineered optical filters, designed for applications such as environmental monitoring, geospatial mapping, and...
March 31, 2025
Designed for compatibility with a wide range of systems, Chroma's UV filters are engineered to feature high transmission, superior out-of-band blocking, steep edge transitions...
March 31, 2025
Discover strategies to balance component performance and system design, reducing development time and costs while maximizing efficiency.
March 31, 2025
Explore the essential role of optical filters in enhancing Raman spectroscopy measurements including the various filter types and their applications in improving signal-to-noise...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Laser Focus World, create an account today!