For many of us, the ISS represents the future of human space endeavors. Orbiting above our planet the international laboratory is a vehicle meant to further investigations into long-term human space habitation, materials science, biology, physics, chemistry and a host of other fields.
While the ISS has helped develop amazing technologies (advanced robotics, air purifiers and even golf clubs) its decades old infrastructure is hampering the station’s ability to beam data back to Earth, where supercomputers and PhDs around the globe wait to analyze it. To remedy this bottleneck, JPL researchers recently installed a laser communications model named OPALS aboard the ISS.
Since its installation on April 20, OPALS has been moving through its routine configuration exercises in preparation for its first data transfer test held this past Thursday. During that test the OPALS system transferred a video named “Hello, World!” from the ISS, orbiting 418km (260mi) above Earth to the Table Mount Observatory in Wrightwood, California.
Using its 2.5W, 1,550-nanometer laser OPALS beamed the video to Earth in an astonishing 3.5 seconds, reaching a peak transmission rate of 50 megabits per second. Compared to its predecessor, which would have taken 10 minutes to send the same amount of data, the OPALS system represents a quantum leap in space-based communications.
Over the course of its 90-day testing period OPALS will undergo further tests to establish whether laser-based communications are a viable method for space communications both on the ISS and for further space exploration missions. Given its recent success it appears that NASA and the JPL will likely spark a new era of space communications. Hopefully new laser-based space networks can help seed greater hopes of space exploration by laying a solid communications infrastructure for intrepid explorers seeking out a place on the Moon, Mars, comets and beyond.
Image and Video Courtesy of NASA