The recent Artemis II mission around the Moon has proven the reliability of relatively cheap, laser-based communication technology for space missions, a space research and technology company has said.
Observable Space, which specialises in space optics and laser communications, worked with Quantum Opus to create a system that can drastically improve data rates in space compared to traditional radio transmissions.
The technology enabled high-definition video to broadcast live from the Orion space capsule and back-and-forth video calls with President Donald Trump among others.
Nasa’s Apollo missions, which took place in the 1960s and early 1970s, deployed the Unified S-Band system, which operated in the 2GHz microwave range to broadcast voice, telemetry and television signals into a single radio carrier. While this was cutting-edge for the time, it was limited by the physics of radio waves, which spread out over long distances and have limited bandwidth.
On the other hand, the laser-based...