For decades, satellites have beamed data back to Earth by way of radio waves, with a network of ground-based antennas collecting the incoming information. Now, NASA is exploring laser communications, technology that will allow us to receive more data from farther than ever before and faster, too. NASA's?space communications expert Risha George explains how communication with a spacecraft is carried out.
Risha George says, "We have a network of antennas all over the world across all seven continents, along with satellites in space that help transmit these radio waves. Astronauts, mission controllers, and scientists rely on this network to transmit messages and commands and receive data such as never-before-seen images of our solar system and universe.?Spacecraft in orbit can only communicate directly to ground stations on Earth if the satellite has a clear view of the ground station, which typically only occurs for a short period of time."
She continued, "These satellites relay data from other spacecraft to ground stations, allowing NASA to provide near-continuous global communications coverage to missions in low Earth orbit."
Risha George said, "Laser Communications offers missions higher data rates than ever before, allowing us to transmit more data at once. One mission doing that now is the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, or LCRD. LCRD will work with the International Space Station, allowing more science and exploration data so we can continue making discoveries about our planet. We also have a demonstration called T-Bird, which is testing laser communications with huge bursts of data from a small satellite in low Earth orbit."?
So communication with spacecraft is mostly done via radio waves between space and ground. But NASA is pushing the boundaries with laser communications to be able to receive more data from further than ever before.
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