Laser send a video in space at 31 million kilometers

2023/12/19 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Fisika
• Komunikazioak

For the first time, NASA has managed to send a laser message from deep space to Earth. The message has been a video of a cat whose objective was to test a new laser communication system that would allow a lot of information to be sent at the speed of light.

So far radio waves have been used for communication, but this system did not serve to send large amounts of data. To overcome it, in my Psyche, a new laser communication system was introduced that is now tested. The test was a blink: the cat's video was 15 seconds, the system has sent 267 megabits per second and the signal has taken 101 seconds to travel a distance of 31 million kilometers between the ship and Earth, that is, approximately eight times from Earth to the Moon.

NASA has therefore confirmed that the laser system is appropriate to ensure the transmission of information on Mars missions.