In many parts of the world we take for granted that we will be able to enjoy high definition streaming. Even now, as I write this article, I have the Martian broadcast in high definition, but until now astronauts aboard the Space Station have had to accept low definition streaming. A team of NASA researchers has developed and used a new system that uses an aircraft as a repeater. A laser terminal was installed on a research aircraft and data was sent to a ground station. Signals were sent around the Earth and transmitted to a relay satellite which then sent the signal back to the Space Station. It is unlikely that astronauts will use it to stream high definition movies, but they will certainly be able to take advantage of the high bandwidth for scientific data and communications.
Over the years, space travelers from all countries have had to rely on radio waves to transfer data and information to and from space. This has meant reliable communication, but poor video quality. Alternative technologies have been available, but they are generally limited to terrestrial activity. Lasers are an obvious alternative, using infrared light to transmit 10 to 100 times more data than radio-based systems.
A team of researchers at the Glenn Research Center, part of NASA’s presence in Cleveland, has succeeded in establishing sufficient bandwidth to transmit 4K video to the ISS using laser communications. The study was part of a series of tests of a new technology that could provide high-quality live video coverage of the Artemis lunar landing missions.
The team worked closely with the Air Force Research Laboratory and NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research program. Together, they installed a temporary laser terminal on the underside of a Pilatus PC-12 aircraft. The pressurized, single-engine aircraft then flew over Lake Erie in Cleveland and sent data back to a nearby ground station. The next step was to send the data via ground infrastructure to White Sands, NASA’s test facility in New Mexico, where it was translated into an infrared signal.
NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Experimental Satellite, orbiting Earth at an altitude of about 35,000 kilometers, received the infrared signal and transmitted it to the ISS via Illuma-T, the LEO Integrated User Modem and Amplifier Terminal (LCRD). A new system known as High-Rate Delay Tolerant Networking was integrated into the transfer, which helped manage cloud penetration more efficiently.
The Pilatus aircraft made several flights and after each test, the functionality was improved. It is much easier to identify problems and make subsequent improvements during aeronautical tests than during ground tests.
The upcoming Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond are a real driving force in the development of high-bandwidth data transfer, not only for video transmission, but also to provide full video conferencing capabilities to astronauts. This will not only contribute to mission efficiency, but will also help maintain astronaut morale and well-being. The push also to capture high-quality video data along with large amounts of scientific data will benefit this high-bandwidth technology as NASA embraces laser communications as a core part of its future projects.
Fountain : NASA beams first 4K video from an airplane to the International Space Station
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