Space Station has Gigabit Internet

On the train International Space Station (ISS), astronauts and cosmonauts from many countries are carrying out important research that allows humans to live and work in space. For more than 20 years, the ISS has been a unique platform for conducting microgravity, biology, agriculture and communication experiments. This includes the ISS broadband internet service, which transmits information at 600 megabits per second (Mbps) – ten times the global average internet speed!

In 2021, NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation Agency (SCaN) began integrating a technology demonstration device on the ISS to test optical (laser) communications and data transmission capabilities. The system currently includes a Laser Communication Relay Demonstration (LCRD) and will soon be upgraded with the addition of a built-in LCRD Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal (ILLUMA-T). Once completed, the system will be the first end-to-end, two-way laser relay system, providing the ISS with gigabit internet connectivity!

The system relies on infrared light, allows information to be sent and received at higher data rates, and will demonstrate the benefits that laser relay arrays can bring to low-Earth orbit missions. . The system will also allow missions beyond LEO to send more images and videos back to Earth in a single transmission. In addition to higher data rates, laser systems are lighter and use less energy than conventional radio communications. The ILLUMA-T system is just a few cubic meters in size and will be launched as part of SpaceX’s 29th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission.

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“Laser communications make missions more agile and a fast way to get data from space,” said Badri Younes, former deputy administrator of NASA’s SCaN program. The moon and in deep space.” After arriving at the ISS, the ILLUMA-T will be secured into an external module to conduct demonstrations with the LCRD. NASA recently concluded a year-long campaign, conducting experiments with the LCRD to further improve NASA’s laser capabilities.

These experiments also demonstrated the benefits of laser relay communication in geosynchronous orbit (GSO) by transmitting data between two ground stations: Optical Ground Station -1 (OGS-1) in California and OGS-2 in Haleakal?, Hawaii. Matt Magsamen, ILLUMA-T deputy project manager said:

“When ILLUMA-T is aboard the space station, the terminal sends high-resolution data, including images and video, to the LCRD at 1.2 gigabits per second. The data is then sent from the LCRD to ground stations in Hawaii and California. This demonstration will show how laser communications can be beneficial for low-Earth orbit missions.”

The ILLUMA-T will be installed on an external rack of the Japan Experimental Module Exposure Facility (JEM-EF), also known as “Kibo” (“hope” in Japanese). The ILLUMA-T team will then perform a preliminary test and in-orbit test, followed by a first light test, during which the mission will pass the first beam of laser light through its optical telescope. it goes to the LCRD. These tests build on previous tests, including the 2022 TeraByte Infrared Delivery System (TBIRD), which is currently testing laser communication on the small CubSat in LEO.

There are also experiments NASA conducted in 2014 as part of the Lunar Dust and Atmospheric Environment Exploration (LADEE) mission, in which the Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) transmits data between the orbits of the moon and Earth. Optical payloads for Lasercomm Science 2017 also demonstrated how laser communications can provide improved data transmission between Earth and space compared to radio signals. Once the first light is reached, the experiments will begin and continue for the duration of the mission.

These tests will test the viability of laser communication in a variety of situations and inform future missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond. It is anticipated that robotic and crewed missions will rely on laser communications to supplement the radio system. These will enable high-bandwidth communications between astronauts and their families back home, which is essential for long-term missions. It will also allow robotic probes to send larger volumes of data back to Earth, greatly increasing the scientific returns of individual missions.

Read more: NASA