The US National Space Agency (NASA) was able to receive a message using a laser signal from a spacecraft located at a distance of about 6,2 million kilometers. This could be a harbinger of a revolution in space communication technologies, it is reported agency.
It is noted that the successful transmission of the message took place within the framework of the project Deep Space Optical Communications (Optical communications in deep space) or DSOC. It was the first time that data had been successfully sent using a laser from such a distance. Until now, messages were sent optically from the surface of the Moon at most - this is 40 times closer than in the current experiment.
At the moment, almost all communication with devices in deep space is carried out by means of radio signals, which are sent and received by huge antennas on Earth. They have proven to be reliable, but their bandwidth is limited. This means that sending large files, such as photos and high-definition videos, is either impossible at all or takes a very long time.
NASA's work on DSOC is an attempt to use optical communication through lasers instead. According to the space agency, this technology can increase the speed of data transmission by 100 times. The agency says the "first light" breakthrough is part of a series of experiments it hopes will prove the laser technology works.
"This achievement is one of many major DSOC milestones in the coming months, paving the way for higher-data-rate communications capable of sending scientific information, high-definition images and streaming video in support of humanity's next giant leap: sending humans to Mars." said Trudy Cortez, director of technology demonstrations for the Space Technology Mission Office at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
The main difficulty here is the exact positioning of the sender and receiver of the optical signal. NASA compares it to trying to shine a light on a coin from a distance of one and a half kilometers. Moreover, the laser and its target are constantly moving. So at a long distance, the receiver and the sender can be significantly shifted relative to each other, as long as the sent light signal goes to its destination.
The team will now work specifically on improving the positioning systems to prove the practical feasibility of using this technology outside of a well-planned experiment.
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