NASA We plan to introduce ILLUMA-T soon. international space station, aims to enhance laser communications in space. The system works with the previously launched LCRD to promise faster data transfer speeds using infrared. ILLUMA-T’s launch, test, and demonstration build on past missions and advance NASA’s vision for advanced laser communications in future space exploration.
NASA uses the International Space Station (ISS), a spacecraft the size of a soccer field that orbits Earth, to learn about life and work in space. For more than 20 years, the space station has provided a unique platform for exploration and research in fields such as biology, technology, and agriculture. It will serve as a base for astronauts conducting experiments, including improving NASA’s space communications capabilities.
In 2023, NASA will send a technology demonstration known as Integrated LCRD Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal (ILLUMA-T) To the space station. ILLUMA-T and the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD), which began in December 2021, work together to create NASA’s first bidirectional end-to-end laser relay system.
With ILLUMA-T, NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) The program office will demonstrate the power of laser communications from the space station. Laser communication systems use invisible infrared light to send and receive information at higher data rates. Higher data rates will allow the mission to send more images and videos to Earth in one transmission. Once installed on the space station, ILLUMA-T will demonstrate the benefits of high data rates for missions in low Earth orbit.
Expert insights and additional benefits
“Laser communications brings flexibility to missions and provides a way to quickly get data back from space,” said Badri Younes, former deputy deputy administrator for NASA’s SCaN program. “We are integrating this technology into demonstrations near Earth, on the Moon, and in deep space.”
In addition to higher data rates, laser systems are lighter and consume less power. This is an important advantage when designing spacecraft. ILLUMA-T is approximately the size of a standard refrigerator and will be secured to the space station’s external module for LCRD demonstration.
Currently, the LCRD is demonstrating the benefits of laser relays in geostationary orbit 22,000 miles from Earth by transmitting data between two ground stations and conducting experiments to further improve NASA’s laser capabilities. I am.
“Once ILLUMA-T arrives at the space station, the terminal will transmit high-resolution data, including photos and videos, to the LCRD at a rate of 1.2 gigabits per second,” said Matt Magsamen, ILLUMA-T deputy project manager. “Data is then transmitted from the LCRD to ground stations in Hawaii and California. This demonstration will show how laser communications can benefit missions in low Earth orbit.”
Launch and preliminary operations
ILLUMA-T is launched as payload space xNASA’s 29th commercial resupply service mission. In the first two weeks after launch, ILLUMA-T will be removed from the trunk of the Dragon spacecraft and installed on the station. Japanese Experiment Module Exposure Facility (JEM-EF), also known as “Kibo”. Means “hope” in Japanese.
After the payload is installed, the ILLUMA-T team will perform preliminary tests and on-orbit checkout. Once completed, the team will be passing through first light of the payload. This is an important milestone as the mission sends the first laser beam to the LCRD through an optical telescope.
Once first light is achieved, data transmission and laser communication experiments will begin and continue for the duration of the planned mission.
Testing the laser in different scenarios
In the future, operational laser communications will complement the radio frequency systems currently used by most space missions to send data home. ILLUMA-T is not the first mission to test laser communications in space, but it brings NASA closer to operationally implementing the technology.
In addition to LCRD, ILLUMA-T’s predecessors include 2022. Terabyte infrared distribution system, is currently testing laser communications on a small CubeSat in low Earth orbit.of Lunar laser communication demonstrationtransferred data to and from Earth while in lunar orbit, and sent data back to Earth from lunar orbit. Lunar atmosphere and dust environment exploration mission in 2014; and in 2017 Optical payload for Lasercom Sciencewhich demonstrated how laser communications can speed up the flow of information between Earth and space compared to radio signals.
Testing laser communications’ ability to generate higher data rates in a variety of scenarios will help the aerospace community further refine capabilities for future missions to the Moon. Marsand deep space.