86-452: Laser communication in space is the use of free-space optical communication in outer space . Communication may be fully in space (an inter-satellite laser link ) or in a ground-to-satellite or satellite-to-ground application. The main advantage of using laser communications over radio waves is increased bandwidth , enabling the transfer of more data in less time. In outer space, the communication range of free-space optical communication
172-497: A SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter-2 rideshare mission to Sun-synchronous orbit . The mission is expected to demonstrate laser communication links between the satellites and a remotely controlled MQ-9 Reaper . On December 7, 2021, NASA's Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) launched as part of USAF STP-3 , to communicate between geosynchronous orbit and the Earth's surface. In May 2022, TeraByte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD)
258-925: A laser communications terminal. The mission ended on April 18, 2014, when the spacecraft's controllers intentionally crashed LADEE into the far side of the Moon , which, later, was determined to be near the eastern rim of Sundman V crater . LADEE was announced during the presentation of NASA's FY09 budget in February 2008. It was initially planned to be launched with the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) satellites. Mechanical tests including acoustic , vibration and shock tests were completed prior to full-scale thermal vacuum chamber testing at NASA's Ames Research Center in April 2013. During August 2013, LADEE underwent final balancing, fuelling and mounting on
344-474: A 30-day test period. The LLCD is a free-space optical communication system. It is NASA's first attempt at two-way space communication using an optical laser instead of radio waves . It is expected to lead to operational laser systems on future NASA satellites. For the science operations, LADEE was maneuvered into an orbit with a periselene of 20 km (12 mi) and an aposelene of 60 km (37 mi). The science phase of LADEE's primary mission
430-462: A Japanese microsatellite ( SOCRATES ) was carried out by NICT in 2014, and the first quantum-limited experiments from space were done by using the same satellite in 2016. In February 2016, Google X announced to have achieved a stable laser communication connection between two stratospheric balloons over a distance of 100 km (62 mi) as part of Project Loon . The connection was stable over many hours and during day and nighttime and reached
516-501: A breakthrough in space-to-ground laser communication, downloading at a speed of 400 megabits per second. The system is also able to re-acquire tracking after the signal is lost due to cloud cover. The OPALS experiment was launched on 18 April 2014 to the International Space Station (ISS) to further test the potential for using a laser to transmit data to Earth from space. The first LEO-to-ground lasercom demonstration using
602-465: A data rate of 155 Mbit/s. In June 2018, Facebook's Connectivity Lab (related to Facebook Aquila ) was reported to have achieved a bidirectional 10 Gbit/s air-to-ground connection in collaboration with Mynaric . The tests were carried out from a conventional Cessna aircraft in 9 km (5.6 mi) distance to the optical ground station. While the test scenario had worse platform vibrations, atmospheric turbulence and angular velocity profiles than
688-520: A limited laser power density and support laser classes 1 or 1M . Atmospheric and fog attenuation, which are exponential in nature, limit practical range of FSO devices to several kilometers. However, free-space optics based on 1550 nm wavelength, have considerably lower optical loss than free-space optics using 830 nm wavelength, in dense fog conditions. FSO using wavelength 1550 nm system are capable of transmitting several times higher power than systems with 850 nm and are safe to
774-436: A paper on November 20, 2014, claiming they had achieved commercial reliability (99.999% availability) in extreme fog. There is no indication this product is currently commercially available. The massive advantages of laser communication in space have multiple space agencies racing to develop a stable space communication platform, with many significant demonstrations and achievements. The first gigabit laser-based communication
860-475: A rate of 622 megabits per second (Mbit/s). LLCD was flown aboard the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft, whose primary science mission was to investigate the tenuous and exotic atmosphere that exists around the Moon. Between April and July 2014 NASA's OPALS instrument successfully uploaded 175 megabytes in 3.5 seconds and downloaded 200–300 MB in 20 s. Their system
946-421: A series of startups are currently pursuing various concepts based on laser communication technology. The most promising commercial applications can be found in the interconnection of satellites or high-altitude platforms to build up high-performance optical backbone networks. Other applications include transmitting large amounts of data directly from a satellite, aircraft or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to
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#17330941545481032-560: A similar system for traffic control of automated vehicles with LED traffic lights. In September 2013, pureLiFi, the Edinburgh start-up working on Li-Fi , also demonstrated high speed point-to-point connectivity using any off-the-shelf LED light bulb. In previous work, high bandwidth specialist LEDs have been used to achieve the high data rates. The new system, the Li-1st , maximizes the available optical bandwidth for any LED device, thereby reducing
1118-587: A space-based optical mesh network between the satellites. In 2001, Twibright Labs released RONJA Metropolis , an open source DIY 10 Mbit/s full duplex LED FSO over 1.4 km (0.87 mi). In 2004, a Visible Light Communication Consortium was formed in Japan . This was based on work from researchers that used a white LED-based space lighting system for indoor local area network (LAN) communications. These systems present advantages over traditional UHF RF-based systems from improved isolation between systems,
1204-482: A stratospheric target platform the uplink worked flawlessly and achieved 100% throughput at all times. The downlink throughput occasionally dropped to about 96% due to a non-ideal software parameter which was said to be easily fixed. In April 2020, the Small Optical Link for International Space Station (SOLISS) created by JAXA and Sony Computer Science Laboratories, established bidirectional communication between
1290-481: A technology demonstration payload. The science payload consists of: LADEE also carried a technology demonstration payload for testing an optical communication system. The Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) used a laser to transmit and receive data as pulses of light, in much the same way as data is transferred in a fiber optic cable. Three ground stations were used. This method of communication could potentially provide data rates five times higher than
1376-409: A tenuous atmosphere of moving particles constantly leaping up from and falling back to the Moon's surface, giving rise to a "dust atmosphere" that looks static but is composed of dust particles in constant motion. According to models proposed starting from 1956, on the daylit side of the Moon, solar ultraviolet and X-ray radiation is energetic enough to knock electrons out of atoms and molecules in
1462-626: A two-way distance record for communication was set by the Mercury laser altimeter instrument aboard the MESSENGER spacecraft. This diode-pumped infrared neodymium laser , designed as a laser altimeter for a Mercury orbit mission, was able to communicate across a distance of 24,000,000 km (15,000,000 mi), as the craft neared Earth on a fly-by. In 2006, Japan carried out the first LEO-to-ground laser-communication downlink from JAXA's OICETS LEO satellite and NICT's optical ground station. In 2008,
1548-481: A year-round availability sufficient for commercial services. Several entities are continually attempting to overcome these key disadvantages to FSO communications and field a system with a better quality of service . DARPA has sponsored over US$ 130 million in research toward this effort, with the ORCA and ORCLE programs. Other non-government groups are fielding tests to evaluate different technologies that some claim have
1634-449: Is NASA's first attempt at two-way space communication using an optical laser instead of radio waves , and is expected to lead to operational laser systems on NASA satellites in future years. In November 2013, laser communication from a jet platform Tornado was successfully demonstrated for the first time. A laser terminal of the German company Mynaric (formerly ViaLight Communications)
1720-750: Is called TDP-1 and is still regularly used for tests. The first EDRS terminal (EDRS-A) for productive use has been launched as a payload on the Eutelsat EB9B spacecraft and became active in December 2016. It routinely downloads high-volume data from the Sentinel 1A/B and Sentinel 2A/B spacecraft to ground. So far (April 2019) more than 20000 links (11 PBit ) have been performed. As of May 2023, EDRS has over one million minutes of communications with more than 50,000 successful inter-satellite links. In December 2014, NASA's Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) announced
1806-728: Is currently of the order of hundreds of thousands of kilometers. Laser-based optical communication has been demonstrated between the Earth and Moon and it has the potential to bridge interplanetary distances of millions of kilometers, using optical telescopes as beam expanders . On 20 January 1968, the television camera of the Surveyor 7 lunar lander successfully detected two argon lasers from Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona and Table Mountain Observatory in Wrightwood, California . In 1992,
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#17330941545481892-441: Is enabling laser communications while reducing the cost. Beam modulation is being refined, as its software, and gimbals. Cooling problems have been addressed and photon detection technology is improving. Currently active notable companies in the market include: Secure communications have been proposed using a laser N-slit interferometer where the laser signal takes the form of an interferometric pattern, and any attempt to intercept
1978-546: Is from both independent studies, such as in the Czech Republic, as well as internal studies, such as one conducted by MRV FSO staff. Military based studies consistently produce longer estimates for reliability, projecting the maximum range for terrestrial links is of the order of 2 to 3 km (1.2 to 1.9 mi). All studies agree the stability and quality of the link is highly dependent on atmospheric factors such as rain, fog, dust and heat. Relays may be employed to extend
2064-605: Is possible using LEDs . Infrared Data Association (IrDA) technology is a very simple form of free-space optical communications. On the communications side the FSO technology is considered as a part of the optical wireless communications applications. Free-space optics can be used for communications between spacecraft . The reliability of FSO units has always been a problem for commercial telecommunications. Consistently, studies find too many dropped packets and signal errors over small ranges (400 to 500 meters (1,300 to 1,600 ft)). This
2150-605: Is the Integrated LCRD Low-Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal (ILLUMA-T), on the International Space Station. The terminal will receive high-resolution science data from experiments and instruments on board the space station and then transfer this data to LCRD, which will then transmit it to a ground station. After the data arrives on Earth, it will be delivered to mission operation centers and mission scientists. The ILLUMA-T payload
2236-561: Is useful where the physical connections are impractical due to high costs or other considerations. Optical communications , in various forms, have been used for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks used a coded alphabetic system of signalling with torches developed by Cleoxenus, Democleitus and Polybius . In the modern era, semaphores and wireless solar telegraphs called heliographs were developed, using coded signals to communicate with their recipients. In 1880, Alexander Graham Bell and his assistant Charles Sumner Tainter created
2322-663: The Galileo probe proved successful one-way detection of laser light from Earth as two ground-based lasers were seen from 6,000,000 km (3,700,000 mi) by the out-bound probe. The first successful laser-communication link from space was carried out by Japan in 1995 between the NASDA 's ETS-VI GEO satellite and the 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT)' s optical ground station in Tokyo achieving 1 Mbit/s . In November 2001,
2408-587: The April 2014 lunar eclipse on April 15, during which it could not generate power because it was in Earth's shadow for four hours. Science instruments were turned off and heaters were cycled during the event to conserve energy but keep the spacecraft warm. Engineers did not expect LADEE to survive, as it was not designed to handle such an environment, but it exited the eclipse with only a few pressure sensor malfunctions. During its penultimate orbit on April 17, LADEE's periapsis took it within 300 m (1,000 ft) of
2494-652: The Herero Wars starting in 1904, in German South-West Africa (today's Namibia ) as did British, French, US or Ottoman signals. During the trench warfare of World War I when wire communications were often cut, German signals used three types of optical Morse transmitters called Blinkgerät , the intermediate type for distances of up to 4 km (2.5 mi) at daylight and of up to 8 km (5.0 mi) at night, using red filters for undetected communications. Optical telephone communications were tested at
2580-619: The Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) equipment on LADEE set a space communication bandwidth record in October 2013 when early tests using a pulsed laser beam to transmit data over the 385,000 km (239,000 mi) between the Moon and Earth passed data at a "record-breaking download rate of 622 megabits per second (Mbps)", and also demonstrated an error-free data upload rate of 20 Mbit/s from an Earth ground station to LADEE in lunar orbit . The LLCD
2666-493: The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to image the impact location, which was determined to be near the eastern rim of Sundman V crater. LADEE is the first spacecraft designed , integrated , built, and tested by NASA's Ames Research Center . The spacecraft is of a novel design (a spacecraft bus never previously flown)—and of much lower cost than typical NASA science missions—which presented novel challenges to
Laser communication in space - Misplaced Pages Continue
2752-475: The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on a Minotaur V carrier rocket. This was the first lunar mission to be launched from that facility. The launch had the potential for visibility along much of the U.S. eastern seaboard, from Maine to South Carolina; clear weather allowed numerous observers from New York City to Virginia to observe the ascent, first stage cutoff and second stage ignition. As
2838-610: The NASA Artemis program to the Moon . A two-way distance record for communication was set by the Mercury laser altimeter instrument aboard the MESSENGER spacecraft. It was able to communicate across a distance of 24 million km (15 million mi), as the craft neared Earth on a fly-by in May 2005. The previous record had been set with a one-way detection of laser light from Earth by
2924-591: The photophone , at Bell's newly established Volta Laboratory in Washington, DC . Bell considered it his most important invention. The device allowed for the transmission of sound on a beam of light . On June 3, 1880, Bell conducted the world's first wireless telephone transmission between two buildings, some 213 meters (699 feet) apart. Its first practical use came in military communication systems many decades later, first for optical telegraphy. German colonial troops used heliograph telegraphy transmitters during
3010-463: The solar wind . Indeed, the "fountain model" suggests that the night side would charge up to higher voltages than the day side, possibly launching dust particles to higher velocities and altitudes. This effect could be further enhanced during the portion of the Moon's orbit where it passes through Earth's magnetotail ; see Magnetic field of the Moon for more detail. On the terminator there could be significant horizontal electric fields forming between
3096-485: The + Z axis for large velocity adjustments. The RCS provided three-axis attitude control during burns of the OCS system, and also provided momentum dumps for the reaction wheels which were the primary attitude control system between OCS burns. The main engine was a 455 N High Performance Apogee Thruster (HiPAT). The high efficiency 22N attitude control thrusters are manufactured using high temperature materials and similar to
3182-546: The ESA used laser communication technology designed to transmit 1.8 Gbit/s across 40,000 km (25,000 mi), the distance of a LEO-GEO link. Such a terminal was successfully tested during an in-orbit verification using the German radar satellite TerraSAR-X and the American Near Field Infrared Experiment (NFire) satellite. The two Laser Communication Terminals (LCT) used during these tests were built by
3268-668: The ETS-9 (Engineering Test Satellite IX) satellite, as well as the first intersatellite link at the same high speed between a CubeSat in LEO and HICALI in GEO one year later. As of May 2024, a Full Trasceiver type terminal compatible for CubeSat has been designed and in development. CubeSOTA is expected to launch during the Japanese fiscal year 2025 with the terminal for "demonstrating various scenarios, including LEO–ground, LEO–HAPS, and LEO–LEO." CubeSOTA "will be
3354-681: The Earth. For space vehicles or space stations, the range of communications is estimated to increase up to 10,000 km (6,200 mi). This approach to secure space-to-space communications was selected by Laser Focus World as one of the top photonics developments of 2015. Free-space optical communication Free-space optical communication ( FSO ) is an optical communication technology that uses light propagating in free space to wirelessly transmit data for telecommunications or computer networking . "Free space" means air, outer space, vacuum, or something similar. This contrasts with using solids such as optical fiber cable . The technology
3440-730: The Galileo probe, of 6 million km (3.7 million mi) in 1992. In January 2013, NASA used lasers to beam an image of the Mona Lisa to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter roughly 390,000 km (240,000 mi) away. To compensate for atmospheric interference, an error correction code algorithm similar to that used in CDs was implemented. In the early morning hours of October 18, 2013, NASA's Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) transmitted data from lunar orbit to Earth at
3526-561: The German army used in their World War II anti-aircraft defense units, or in bunkers at the Atlantic Wall . The invention of lasers in the 1960s revolutionized free-space optics. Military organizations were particularly interested and boosted their development. In 1973, while prototyping the first laser printers at PARC , Gary Starkweather and others made a duplex 30 Mbit/s CAN optical link using astronomical telescopes and HeNe lasers to send data between offices; they chose
Laser communication in space - Misplaced Pages Continue
3612-735: The German company Tesat-Spacecom , in cooperation with the German Aerospace Center (DLR). In January 2013, NASA used lasers to beam an image of the Mona Lisa to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) roughly 390,000 km (240,000 mi) away at night from the Next Generation Satellite Laser Ranging (NGSLR) Station at NASA's Earth-based Goddard Space Flight Center . To compensate for atmospheric interference, an error correction code algorithm similar to that used in CDs
3698-481: The HiPAT. The main engine provided the majority of the thrust for spacecraft trajectory correction maneuvers. The control system thrusters were used for the small maneuvers planned for the science phase of the mission. Following the science phase, a decommissioning period occurred, during which the altitude was gradually lowered until the spacecraft impacted the lunar surface. LADEE carried three scientific instruments and
3784-510: The ISS and a telescope of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology of Japan. On 29 November 2020, Japan launched the inter-satellite optical data relay geostationary orbit satellite with high speed laser communication technology, named LUCAS (Laser Utilizing Communication System). In June 2021, the U.S. Space Development Agency launched a two 12U CubeSats aboard
3870-556: The LADEE spacecraft into perigee for the spin-stabilized fifth stage to then put the spacecraft into a highly elliptical orbit around Earth —the first of three—to begin a month-long Lunar transit. While now separated from the LADEE spacecraft, both the fourth and fifth stages of the Minotaur V reached orbit, and are now space debris in Earth orbit . A launch photo with a frog thrown high by
3956-418: The Minotaur V is a solid-propellant rocket , spacecraft attitude control on this mission operated a bit differently from a typical liquid-fueled rocket with more continuous closed-loop feedback . The first three Minotaur stages "fly a pre-programmed attitude profile" to gain velocity and deliver the vehicle to its preliminary trajectory, while the fourth stage is used to modify the flight profile and deliver
4042-662: The Radiator Module which carries the avionics, electrical system, and attitude sensors; the Bus Module; the Payload Module that carries the two largest instruments; and the Extension Modules, which house the propulsion system. The main structure is 2.37 m (7.8 ft) high, 1.85 m (6.1 ft) wide and 1.85 m (6.1 ft) deep. The total mass of the spacecraft is 383 kg (844 lb). Electrical power
4128-422: The ability to address key FSO adoption challenges. As of October 2014 , none have fielded a working system that addresses the most common atmospheric events. FSO research from 1998 to 2006 in the private sector totaled $ 407.1 million, divided primarily among four start-up companies. All four failed to deliver products that would meet telecommunications quality and distance standards: One private company published
4214-408: The ability to perform on various kinds of missions—including voyages to the Moon and Near-Earth objects —with different modules or applicable systems. This modular concept is an innovative way of transitioning away from custom designs and toward multi-use designs and assembly-line production, which could dramatically reduce the cost of spacecraft development. The LADEE spacecraft bus modules consist of
4300-474: The cost and improving the performance of deploying indoor FSO systems. Typically, the best scenarios for using this technology are: The light beam can be very narrow, which makes FSO hard to intercept, improving security. It is comparatively easy to encrypt any data traveling across the FSO connection for additional security. FSO provides vastly improved electromagnetic interference (EMI) behavior compared to using microwaves . For terrestrial applications,
4386-479: The day and night areas, resulting in horizontal dust transport. Also, the Moon has been shown to have a " sodium tail " too faint to be detected by the human eye. It is hundreds of thousands of miles long, and was discovered in 1998 as a result of Boston University scientists observing the Leonid meteor storm. The Moon is constantly releasing atomic sodium gas from its surface, and solar radiation pressure accelerates
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#17330941545484472-504: The end of the war, but not introduced at troop level. In addition, special blinkgeräts were used for communication with airplanes, balloons, and tanks, with varying success. A major technological step was to replace the Morse code by modulating optical waves in speech transmission. Carl Zeiss, Jena developed the Lichtsprechgerät 80/80 (literal translation: optical speaking device) that
4558-795: The equipment used limited bandwidths to about 4 kHz . The high sensitivities required of the detector to cover such distances made the internal capacitance of the photodiode used a dominant factor in the high-impedance amplifier which followed it, thus naturally forming a low-pass filter with a cut-off frequency in the 4 kHz range. Lasers can reach very high data rates which are comparable to fiber communications. Projected data rates and future data rate claims vary. A low-cost white LED (GaN-phosphor) which could be used for space lighting can typically be modulated up to 20 MHz. Data rates of over 100 Mbit/s can be achieved using efficient modulation schemes and Siemens claimed to have achieved over 500 Mbit/s in 2010. Research published in 2009, used
4644-678: The first ever use of gigabit laser-based communication as part of the European Data Relay System (EDRS) was carried out. Further system and operational service demonstrations were carried out in 2014. Data from the EU Sentinel-1A satellite in LEO was transmitted via an optical link to the ESA-Inmarsat Alphasat in GEO and then relayed to a ground station using a conventional Ka-band downlink. The new system can offer speeds up to 7.2 Gbit/s. The Laser terminal on Alphasat
4730-428: The first in-orbit validation of the terminals." LunaNet is a NASA and ESA project and proposed data network aiming to provide a “Lunar Internet“ for cis-lunar spacecraft and installations. The specification for the system includes optical communications for links between the Earth and the Moon as well as for links between lunar satellites and the lunar surface. Corporations like SpaceX , Facebook and Google and
4816-438: The ground. Multiple companies and government organizations want to use laser communication in space for satellite constellations in low Earth orbit to provide global high-speed Internet access. Similar concepts are pursued for networks of aircraft and stratospheric platforms. A substantial market for laser communication equipment may establish when these projects will be fully realized. New advancements by equipment suppliers
4902-448: The human eye (1M class). Additionally, some free-space optics, such as EC SYSTEM, ensure higher connection reliability in bad weather conditions by constantly monitoring link quality to regulate laser diode transmission power with built-in automatic gain control. LADEE The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer ( LADEE ; / ˈ l æ d i / ) was a NASA lunar exploration and technology demonstration mission. It
4988-618: The launcher, and all pre-launch activities were complete by August 31, ready for the launch window which opened on September 6. NASA Ames was responsible for the day-to-day functions of LADEE while the Goddard Space Flight Center operated the sensor suite and technology demonstration payloads as well as managing launch operations. The LADEE mission cost approximately $ 280 million, which included spacecraft development and science instruments, launch services, mission operations, science processing and relay support. The Moon may have
5074-408: The lunar soil. Positive charges build up until the tiniest particles of lunar dust (measuring 1 micrometre and smaller) are repelled from the surface and lofted anywhere from metres to kilometres high, with the smallest particles reaching the highest altitudes. Eventually they fall back toward the surface where the process is repeated. On the night side, the dust is negatively charged by electrons in
5160-453: The lunar surface. Contact with the spacecraft was lost around 04:30 UTC on April 18 when it moved behind the Moon. LADEE struck the Moon's far side surface some time between 04:30 and 05:22 at a speed of 5,800 km/h (3,600 mph). The far side of the Moon was chosen to avoid the possibility of damaging historically important locations such as the Luna and Apollo landing sites. NASA used
5246-611: The method due partly to less strict regulations (at the time) on free-space optical communication by the FCC . However, laser-based free-space optics lost market momentum when the installation of optical fiber networks for civilian uses was at its peak. Many simple and inexpensive consumer remote controls use low-speed communication using infrared (IR) light. This is known as consumer IR technologies. Free-space point-to-point optical links can be implemented using infrared laser light, although low-data-rate communication over short distances
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#17330941545485332-526: The orbit was lowered to 75 km (47 mi) altitude. LADEE's Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) pulsed laser system conducted a successful test on October 18, 2013, transmitting data between the spacecraft and its ground station on Earth at a distance of 385,000 kilometres (239,000 mi). This test set a downlink record of 622 megabits per second (Mbps) from spacecraft to ground, and an "error-free data upload rate of 20 Mbps" from ground station to spacecraft. Tests were carried out over
5418-449: The pressure wave became popular on social media. The frog's condition is uncertain. LADEE took an unusual approach in its transit of the Moon . Launched into a highly elliptical Earth orbit , the spacecraft made three increasingly larger laps around Earth before getting close enough to enter into Lunar orbit . The transit required approximately one month. After separating from the Minotaur, high electrical currents were detected in
5504-599: The previous radio frequency communication system. The technology is a direct predecessor to NASA's Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) system which was due to launch in 2017, and actually launched in 2021. The LADEE science teams continued to analyze data acquired at the time of the Chang'e 3 landing on December 14, 2013. The team for LADEE included contributors from NASA Headquarters, Washington D.C., NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland , and
5590-452: The principal limiting factors are: These factors cause an attenuated receiver signal and lead to higher bit error ratio (BER). To overcome these issues, vendors found some solutions, like multi-beam or multi-path architectures, which use more than one sender and more than one receiver. Some state-of-the-art devices also have larger fade margin (extra power, reserved for rain, smog, fog). To keep an eye-safe environment, good FSO systems have
5676-438: The range for FSO communications. TMEX USA ran two eight-mile links between Laredo, Texas and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico from 1998 to 2002. The links operated at 155 Mbit/s and reliably carried phone calls and internet service. The main reason terrestrial communications have been limited to non-commercial telecommunications functions is fog. Fog often prevents FSO laser links over 500 meters (1,600 ft) from achieving
5762-432: The satellite's reaction wheels causing them to be shut down. There was no indication of a fault, and after the protection limits were adjusted, orientation with reaction wheels was resumed the following day. The LADEE spacecraft made three "phasing orbits " of Earth before it accomplished a Lunar orbit insertion (LOI), which occurred at perigee of the third orbit using a three-minute engine burn. The target orbit for
5848-566: The signal causes the collapse of the interferometric pattern. This technique uses populations of indistinguishable photons and has been demonstrated to work over propagation distances of practical interest and, in principle, it could be applied over large distances in space. Assuming available laser technology, and considering the divergence of the interferometric signals, the range for satellite-to-satellite communications has been estimated to be approximately 2,000 km (1,200 mi). These estimates are applicable to an array of satellites orbiting
5934-725: The size and cost of receivers/transmitters, RF licensing laws and by combining space lighting and communication into the same system. In January 2009, a task force for visible light communication was formed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers working group for wireless personal area network standards known as IEEE 802.15.7 . A trial was announced in 2010, in St. Cloud, Minnesota . Amateur radio operators have achieved significantly farther distances using incoherent sources of light from high-intensity LEDs. One reported 278 km (173 mi) in 2007. However, physical limitations of
6020-528: The sodium atoms in the anti-sunward direction, forming an elongated tail which points away from the Sun. As of April 2013, it had not yet been determined whether ionized sodium gas atoms or charged dust are the cause of the reported Moon glows. China's Chang'e 3 spacecraft, which was launched on December 1, 2013, and entered lunar orbit on December 6, was expected to contaminate the tenuous lunar exosphere with both propellant from engine firings and lunar dust from
6106-513: The test was successfully completed with the Psyche spacecraft at a distance of 140 million miles. Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) will demonstrate in 2022 the fastest bidirectional lasercom link between the geosynchronous orbit and the ground at 10 Gbit/s by using the HICALI (High-speed Communication with Advanced Laser Instrument) lasercom terminal on board
6192-408: The third Earth orbit had a perigee of 200 kilometers (120 mi), an apogee of 278,000 km (173,000 mi) and an inclination of 37.65 degrees. The planned argument of perigee is 155 degrees, while its characteristic energy , C3 is -2.75 km /s . The novel trajectory using orbital phasing loops was done for four main reasons: LADEE entered lunar orbit on October 6, 2013, when LADEE
6278-513: The trajectory design team in getting the new spacecraft launched to the Moon with a high-confidence spaceflight trajectory plan, while dealing with a first-use new rocket (Minotaur V) and a spacecraft with no flight test legacy. (see Lunar transit , above.) LADEE mission makes use of the Modular Common Spacecraft Bus , or body, made of a lightweight carbon composite with an unfueled mass of 248.2 kg (547 lb). The bus has
6364-422: The vehicle's landing. While concern was expressed that this could disrupt LADEE's mission, such as its baseline readings of the Moon's exosphere, it instead provided additional science value since both the quantity and composition of the spacecraft's propulsion system exhaust were known. Data from LADEE was used to track the distribution and eventual dissipation of the exhaust and dust in the Moon's exosphere. It
6450-713: The world's first laser intersatellite link was achieved in space by the European Space Agency (ESA) satellite Artemis , providing an optical data transmission link with the CNES Earth observation satellite SPOT 4 . Achieving 50 Mbps across 40,000 km (25,000 mi), the distance of a LEO-GEO link. Since 2005, ARTEMIS has been relaying two-way optical signals from Kirari , the Japanese Optical Inter-orbit Communications Engineering Test Satellite . In May 2005,
6536-593: Was achieved by the European Space Agency and called the European Data Relay System (EDRS) on November 28, 2014. The system is operational and is being used on a daily basis. In December 2023, the Australian National University (ANU) demonstrated its Quantum Optical Ground Station at its Mount Stromlo Observatory . QOGS uses adaptive optics and lasers as part of a telescope, to create a bi-directional communications system capable of supporting
6622-640: Was also able to re-acquire tracking after the signal was lost due to cloud cover. On December 7, 2021 NASA launched the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD), which aims to relay data between spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit and ground stations. LCRD is NASA's first two-way, end-to-end optical relay. LCRD uses two ground stations , Optical Ground Station (OGS)-1 and -2, at Table Mountain Observatory in California, and Haleakalā , Hawaii . One of LCRD's first operational users
6708-479: Was also possible to observe the migration of water , one component of the exhaust, giving insight on how it is transported and becomes trapped around the lunar poles. The LADEE mission was designed to address three major science goals: and one technology demonstration goal: LADEE was launched on September 7, 2013, at 03:27 UTC (September 6, 11:27 p.m. EDT), from the Wallops Flight Facility at
6794-443: Was generated by a photovoltaic system composed of 30 panels of silicon solar cells producing 295 W at one AU . The solar panels were mounted on the satellite's exterior surfaces and the electrical power was stored in one lithium-ion battery providing up to 24 Ah of 28- volt power. The LADEE propulsion system consisted of an orbit control system (OCS) and a reaction control system (RCS). The OCS provided velocity control along
6880-453: Was implemented. In September 2013, a laser communication system was one of four science instruments launched with the NASA LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer) mission. After a month-long transit to the Moon and a 40-day spacecraft checkout, daytime laser communications experiments were performed over three months during late 2013 and early 2014. Initial data returned from
6966-491: Was initially planned as 100 days, and later given a 28-day extension. The extension provided an opportunity for the satellite to gather an additional full lunar cycle worth of very low-altitude data to help scientists unravel the nature of the Moon's tenuous exosphere. Spacecraft controllers ordered a final engine burn on April 11, 2014, to lower LADEE to within 2 km (1 mi) of the Moon's surface and set it up for impact no later than April 21. The probe then dealt with
7052-479: Was launched (on PTD-3 ) and tested 100 Gbit/s comms from 300 mile orbit to California. Laser communications in deep space will be tested on the Psyche mission to the main-belt asteroid 16 Psyche , launched in 2023. The system is called Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC), and is expected to increase spacecraft communications performance and efficiency by 10 to 100 times over conventional means.In April 2024,
7138-416: Was launched on a Minotaur V rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on September 7, 2013. During its seven-month mission, LADEE orbited the Moon's equator, using its instruments to study the lunar exosphere and dust in the Moon's vicinity. Instruments included a dust detector, neutral mass spectrometer , and ultraviolet-visible spectrometer , as well as a technology demonstration consisting of
7224-406: Was put into an elliptical capture orbit of 24 hours duration. LADEE was further lowered into a four-hour orbit on October 9, 2013, One further burn occurred on October 12 lowering LADEE into a circular orbit around the Moon with an altitude of approximately 250 kilometers (160 mi) for its commissioning phase, which lasted about 30 days. LADEE's systems and instruments were checked out after
7310-689: Was sent to the ISS in late 2023 on SpaceX CRS-29 , and achieved first light on December 5, 2023. On April 28, 2023, NASA and its partners achieved 200 gigabit per second (Gbit/s) throughput on a space-to-ground optical link between a satellite in orbit and Earth. This was achieved by the TeraByte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD) system, mounted on NASA's Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator 3 (PTD-3) satellite. Various satellite constellations that are intended to provide global broadband coverage, such as SpaceX Starlink , employ laser communication for inter-satellite links. This effectively creates
7396-486: Was used to transmit data at a rate of 1 Gbit/s over a distance of 60 km and at a flight speed of 800 km/h in daylight. Additional challenges in this scenario were the fast flight maneuvers, strong vibrations, and the effects of atmospheric turbulence. The demonstration was financed by EADS Cassidian Germany and performed in cooperation with the German Aerospace Center DLR . In November 2014,
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