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A NASA official told Space.com that a "data hunger" in space is driving the launch of a new laser communications mission.
The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration will be launched on the United States Space Force Space Test Program 3 mission. The time is 0902 GMT. You can watch the rocket launch on Sunday from the United Launch Alliance website.
This will be the first time we understand what lasers are used to communicate and connect directly to Earth and space users. In a recent video interview, the Director of the Advanced Communications & navigation Technology Division at NASA is speaking.
The dial-up space communications system gets a high-speed upgrade.
An artist's impression of a NASA mission. The image is from NASA.
Mitchell noted that NASA will be able to learn about possible effects, ranging from atmospheric turbulence to cloud deflection. NASA and its international partners are expanding their exploration focus over the coming decades.
The need for fast information to and from Earth will only increase with the announcement of private space stations. The astronauts on the moon and sample return mission on Mars could benefit from faster communications speeds.
Mitchell said that upcoming laser demonstrations a little further from Earth will help figure out how to operate lasers from a moon base. He said that the learning experience at the moon would show how we would look to operate this at Mars, as well as in any other location, where you have a central spot that you really want to collect a lot of data from.
Laser communications will be tested for at least two years by the LCRD. The demonstration is meant to show the viability of longer space missions after several brief attempts to try laser comms in space.
Mitchell said that making sure the mission lasted for years instead of a few weeks of months was the top priority during the design process.
We've invested a lot of money to bring this type of science fiction capability into regular use. It's been making sure that we can get all that technology packaged in a way that will survive in space. That's been the biggest challenge we've been focused on.
There are more lasers coming soon. The Artemis 2 crewed moon-orbiting mission is expected to test an optical communications system to send high-definition video feedback to Earth.
The first year of the Psyche mission will include a test of the Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) payload, which will help investigators learn how to precisely direct laser communications from deep space.
Mitchell said that Psyche would be doing all kinds of experiments with the DSOC to try and understand how much data can be obtained. The investigators will learn how far the spaceship will go before data flow slows, and controllers need to switch to counting individual photons with ultra sensitive detectors on the ground.
NASA says the switch to laser will solve the problem of frequency overcrowding. Satellite megaconstellations and commercial space launches are making it harder to get the spectrum. It's difficult for companies to file regulatory challenges concerning each other's spectrum.
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