A team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory who, working with NASA
last fall, demonstrated for the first time that a data communication
technology exists that can provide space dwellers with the connectivity
we all enjoy here on Earth, enabling large data transfers and even
high-definition video streaming.
At the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics , being held next month from 8 to 13 June in California, US, team will present new details and the first comprehensive overview of the on-orbit performance of their record-shattering laser-based communication uplink between the moon and Earth, which beat the previous record transmission speed last fall by a factor of 4,800. Earlier reports have stated what the team accomplished, but have not provided the details of the implementation.
Earlier reports have stated what the team accomplished, but have not provided the details of the implementation . "This will be the first time that we present both the implementation overview and how well it actually worked," said Mark Stevens of MIT Lincoln Laboratory.
The team made history last year when their Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) transmitted data over the 384,633km between the Moon and Earth at a download rate of 622 megabits per second, faster than any radio frequency (RF) system. Engineers expect future space missions to benefit greatly from the use of laser communications technology. This new ability will provide increased data transmission for real-time communication and 3-D high-definition video, while taking advantage of its lower on-orbit mass and power requirements. For example, using S-band communications, the LADEE spacecraft would take 639 hours to download an average-length HD movie. Using LLCD technology, download times will be reduced to less than eight minutes.
Their CLEO: 2014 presentation will also describe how the large margins in received signal level can allow the system to operate through partly transparent thin clouds in the Earth’s atmosphere, which the team views as a big bonus. While the LLCD design is directly relevant for near-Earth missions and those out to Lagrange points – areas where the forces between rotating celestial bodies are balanced, making them a popular destination for satellites -- the team predicts that it’s also extendable to deep-space missions to Mars and the outer planets.
Presentation SM4J.1, titled “Overview and On-orbit Performance of the Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration Uplink,” will take place Monday, 9 June, at 4:00 p.m. in Meeting Room 212 A/C of the San Jose Convention Center.
At the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics , being held next month from 8 to 13 June in California, US, team will present new details and the first comprehensive overview of the on-orbit performance of their record-shattering laser-based communication uplink between the moon and Earth, which beat the previous record transmission speed last fall by a factor of 4,800. Earlier reports have stated what the team accomplished, but have not provided the details of the implementation.
Earlier reports have stated what the team accomplished, but have not provided the details of the implementation . "This will be the first time that we present both the implementation overview and how well it actually worked," said Mark Stevens of MIT Lincoln Laboratory.
The team made history last year when their Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) transmitted data over the 384,633km between the Moon and Earth at a download rate of 622 megabits per second, faster than any radio frequency (RF) system. Engineers expect future space missions to benefit greatly from the use of laser communications technology. This new ability will provide increased data transmission for real-time communication and 3-D high-definition video, while taking advantage of its lower on-orbit mass and power requirements. For example, using S-band communications, the LADEE spacecraft would take 639 hours to download an average-length HD movie. Using LLCD technology, download times will be reduced to less than eight minutes.
Their CLEO: 2014 presentation will also describe how the large margins in received signal level can allow the system to operate through partly transparent thin clouds in the Earth’s atmosphere, which the team views as a big bonus. While the LLCD design is directly relevant for near-Earth missions and those out to Lagrange points – areas where the forces between rotating celestial bodies are balanced, making them a popular destination for satellites -- the team predicts that it’s also extendable to deep-space missions to Mars and the outer planets.
Presentation SM4J.1, titled “Overview and On-orbit Performance of the Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration Uplink,” will take place Monday, 9 June, at 4:00 p.m. in Meeting Room 212 A/C of the San Jose Convention Center.