NASA to Test High-Speed Laser-Based Data Transmission System

NASA has delivered the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System, a laser communications terminal designed to improve data reception and delivery for future space missions, to the Kennedy Space Center.

NASA will test the O2O laser during Artemis II, slated for November 2024. According to O2O project manager Steve Horowitz, the laser is designed to send high-definition videos from the moon at a 260-megabit-per-second rate; transmit and receive procedures, pictures and flight plans; and serve as a link between the Orion spacecraft and mission control.

After gathering data, O2O will send data to ground stations in either New Mexico or California, NASA said Wednesday.

O2O previously went through environmental testing to ensure that it can withstand space conditions.

The O2O testing is one of several preparations for future Artemis missions.

In late May, NASA issued a request for proposals for a potential lunar terrain vehicle-as-a-service for Moon explorations. According to the RFP, the LTV will be used to explore the southern polar region of the moon during the Artemis V mission, slated for 2029.

Earlier in the month, Blue Origin was awarded a $3.4 billion contract to build a human landing system for Artemis V.