NASA to test revolutionary laser comms tech aboard the ISS

One of the most remarkable aspects of ILLUMA-T is its optical module, which includes a telescope and a two-axis gimbal to precisely track the LCRD satellite in geosynchronous orbit. Despite its advanced capabilities, the optical module is only about the size of a microwave, while the entire ILLUMA-T payload is similar to a standard refrigerator.

ILLUMA-T will relay data from the space station to LCRD at a remarkable rate of 1.2 gigabits per second, which will then be sent to optical ground stations in California or Hawaii. Following this, the data will travel to the LCRD Mission Operations Center in New Mexico before reaching the ILLUMA-T ground operations teams at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland to be assessed for accuracy and quality post-transmission.

“With LCRD actively conducting experiments that test and refine laser systems, we are looking forward to taking space communications capabilities to the next step and watching the success of this collaboration between the two payloads unfold,” said ILLUMA-T Deputy Project Manager Matt Magsamen in a statement.

A giant leap for communications

If successful, ILLUMA-T could become an operational part of the ISS and revolutionize the way NASA sends data from space. Traditionally, the space station has relied on radio frequency relay satellites to maintain communication with Earth, but laser communications offer much higher transmission speeds, enough to transfer an entire movie in under a minute.

The orbiting ISS has had to rely on relay satellites which maintain a line of contact with the space station and ground antenna simultaneously since its completion in 1998. The enhanced data rates ILLUMA-T provides would be game-changing for researchers on Earth with experiments and investigations aboard the space laboratory.

With these demonstrations, NASA intends to integrate laser communications within its space communication networks, including the Near Space Network and Deep Space Network. These could then leverage the several advantages lasers offer over traditional radio frequency communication, including the fast transmission of videos and images.

Furthermore, compared to radio frequency, the optical spectrum is less regulated making licenses a smaller hassle to obtain, reported Space. NASA hopes to make laser communications available to users across the solar system at low risk as the technology matures.

Other payloads flying with ILLUMA-T aboard the Falcon 9 include NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) involving an infrared imaging instrument to analyze atmospheric gravity waves, and Gaucho Lung, a study on how mucus lining the respiratory system affects the delivery of drugs carried in a small amount of injected liquid.