To test the interplanetary Internet with crazy data exchange rate, NASA bombards the Earth with lasers with near moon orbit. NASA set a new record for data transfer thanks to the LADEE probe, which is in orbit with a radius of 380,000 km around the moon.
A photo from open sources
Onboard LADEE there is a “Lunar Demonstration Laser for Communications “(Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration – LLCD), which reached an incredible download speed of 633 megabytes per second (Mbps), and upload speeds of 20 Mbps. Normal speed NASA’s exchange with lunar modules is 5 times less.
A photo from open sources
So far, NASA has used radio waves to communicate with its spacecraft in the solar system. And the further it is the probe from Earth, the more powerful transmitter is required for this. And to receive signals from space, we need antennas of ever larger sizes, so NASA uses an antenna to communicate with Voyager 1 70 meters. LLCD uses three much smaller ones for communication optical telescopes located in New Mexico (California) and in Of Spain.
The agency is currently interested in creating more advanced relay stations. Focused beam laser spacecraft is capable of transmitting, at a higher speeds, high-resolution images and even 3-D video from deep space. Of course, this method of communication is somewhat losing due to the high accuracy requirements of the laser beam. To that LLCD has a lower transmission rate when the moon located low above the horizon, and created interference atmospheric interference reduces transmission speed compared to the position of the moon directly above your head.
In fact, LLCD is the forerunner of a more grandiose and capacious project – Demonstration relay stations of laser communication (Laser Communication Relay Demonstration – LCRD), which will be held testing and is expected to be launched in 2017.
A photo from open sources
Someday, such communication systems will become integral. part of the fast interplanetary Internet through which our descendants will exchange data throughout the solar system.
Lasers Moon NASA Solar System
