\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNASA Terminal Transmits First Laser Communications Uplink to Space\u00a0\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/lcot_telescope.png?w=1536\")
<\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\nNASA’s LCOT (Low-Cost Optical Terminal) located at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCredits: <\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNASA<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nNASA\u2019s LCOT (Low-Cost Optical Terminal), a ground station made of modified commercial hardware, transmitted its first laser communications uplink to the TBIRD (TeraByte Infrared Delivery), a tissue box-sized payload formerly in low Earth orbit.<\/p>\n
During the first live sky test, NASA\u2019s LCOT produced enough uplink intensity for the TBIRD payload to identify the laser beacon, connect, and maintain a connection to the ground station for over three minutes. This successful test marks an important achievement for laser communications: connecting LCOT\u2019s laser beacon from Earth to TBIRD required one milliradian of pointing accuracy, the equivalent of hitting a three-foot target from over eight American football fields away.<\/p>\n
The test was one of many<\/a> laser communications achievements TBIRD made possible during its successful, two-year mission. Prior to its mission completion on Sept. 15, 2024, the payload transmitted at a record-breaking 200 gigabits per second. In an actual use case, TBIRD\u2019s three-minute connection time with LCOT would be sufficient to return over five terabytes of critical science data, the equivalent of over 2,500 hours of high-definition video in a single pass. As the LCOT sky test demonstrates, the ultra-high-speed capabilities of laser communications will allow science missions to maintain their connection to Earth as they travel farther than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Chart](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/tbird-lcot-graphic-1.png?w=2048\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nMeasurement data of the power, or \u201cfluency,\u201d of the connection between NASA\u2019s LCOT (Low-Cost Optical Terminal) laser beacon and TBIRD\u2019s (TeraByte Infrared Delivery) receiver provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (MIT-LL). LCOT and TBIRD maintained a sufficient connection for over three minutes \u2014 enough time for TBIRD to return over five terabytes of data. <\/div>\nNASA\/Dave Ryan<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nNASA\u2019s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program office is implementing laser communications technology in various orbits, including the upcoming Artemis II mission<\/a>, to demonstrate its potential impact in the agency\u2019s mission to explore, innovate, and inspire discovery.<\/p>\n\u201cOptical, or laser, communications can transfer 10 to 100 times more data than radio frequency waves,\u201d said Kevin Coggins, deputy associate administrator and SCaN program manager. \u201cLiterally, it\u2019s the wave of the future, as it\u2019ll enable scientists to realize an ever-increasing amount of data from their missions and will serve as our critical lifeline for astronauts traveling to and from Mars.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNASA<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
NASA\u2019s LCOT (Low-Cost Optical Terminal), a ground station made of modified commercial hardware, transmitted its first laser communications uplink to the TBIRD (TeraByte Infrared Delivery), a tissue box-sized payload formerly in low Earth orbit.<\/p>\n
During the first live sky test, NASA\u2019s LCOT produced enough uplink intensity for the TBIRD payload to identify the laser beacon, connect, and maintain a connection to the ground station for over three minutes. This successful test marks an important achievement for laser communications: connecting LCOT\u2019s laser beacon from Earth to TBIRD required one milliradian of pointing accuracy, the equivalent of hitting a three-foot target from over eight American football fields away.<\/p>\n
The test was one of many<\/a> laser communications achievements TBIRD made possible during its successful, two-year mission. Prior to its mission completion on Sept. 15, 2024, the payload transmitted at a record-breaking 200 gigabits per second. In an actual use case, TBIRD\u2019s three-minute connection time with LCOT would be sufficient to return over five terabytes of critical science data, the equivalent of over 2,500 hours of high-definition video in a single pass. As the LCOT sky test demonstrates, the ultra-high-speed capabilities of laser communications will allow science missions to maintain their connection to Earth as they travel farther than ever before.<\/p>\n NASA\u2019s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program office is implementing laser communications technology in various orbits, including the upcoming Artemis II mission<\/a>, to demonstrate its potential impact in the agency\u2019s mission to explore, innovate, and inspire discovery.<\/p>\n \u201cOptical, or laser, communications can transfer 10 to 100 times more data than radio frequency waves,\u201d said Kevin Coggins, deputy associate administrator and SCaN program manager. \u201cLiterally, it\u2019s the wave of the future, as it\u2019ll enable scientists to realize an ever-increasing amount of data from their missions and will serve as our critical lifeline for astronauts traveling to and from Mars.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a><\/figure>