NASA Conducts New Experiment: Earth Receives Laser-Beam Message from 10 Million Miles Distance

In a recent deep-space experiment, a NASA laser demonstrated success. On November 14, a laser signal was detected by NASA, emanating from an instrument aboard the Psyche spacecraft, currently positioned more than 10 million miles (16 million kilometers) away from Earth, en route to a mysterious metal asteroid. The spacecraft is currently at a distance more than 40 times that of Earth's average moon, continuing its journey into the depths of space.

This groundbreaking moment marked the inaugural triumph of NASA's Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) system—a cutting-edge communication link that transmits information using laser light rather than traditional radio waves. This technology is undergoing a series of tests as part of NASA's efforts to enhance communication capabilities on various deep space missions.

Abi Biswas, the project technologist for the system at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, expressed the significance of achieving "first light": "The ground systems successfully detected the deep space laser photons from DSOC," Biswas said in a statement. "And we were also able to send some data, meaning we were able to exchange 'bits of light' from and to deep space."

While previous missions have experimented with laser communications in Earth's orbit or on routes to the moon and back, DSOC presents the most challenging and distant test yet. If successful, NASA anticipates that future astronauts heading to the moon or Mars might utilize laser light for communication with ground control.

The DSOC test originated at JPL's Table Mountain Facility in California. Engineers activated an uplink beacon—a near-infrared laser pointed in the direction of Psyche. Approximately 50 seconds later, Psyche's transceiver received the laser signal and transmitted its own laser signal back to the Palomar Observatory near San Diego.

Executing such tasks demands astronomical precision, aided by automated guidance systems to direct Psyche's laser accurately. The potential benefits of successful tests are substantial: due to the shorter wavelengths of laser light compared to radio waves, optical light could enable space missions to transmit 10 to 100 times more information per unit time than current methods.

The November 14 test marked the "first light" for DSOC, and ongoing testing will continue as Psyche journeys toward its destination—an asteroid in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Psyche is expected to reach its destination in 2029, embarking on a 29-month survey of the peculiar metallic world.