Laser Comm: The Next Generation of Space Communications
Released on October 25, 2011
NASA is looking for the next generation of space communications technology and Laser Comm may be the answer. Optical communications provide higher bandwidth, which allows for faster data flow and even opens the door to streaming high-def video from distant planets to ground stations on Earth. The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) mission will be put to the test in 2017 on a Loral commercial satellite. There will be ground stations based at JPL in California and White Sands Complex in New Mexico and the demonstration is expected to run for two to three years.