Artist’s rending of Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System (O2O). Courtesy of NASA.
By Brooke Edwards
Will astronauts have internet access on the Moon? The answer to that frequently asked question is yes — but not in the way you might imagine.
Eventually humans will return to the Moon and then to Mars. How will astronauts communicate with Earth? How about receiving and sending data? NASA’s new laser communication system, the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System (O2O), is ready for the challenge.
Funded by NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., the new laser terminal installed at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, is a product of the Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) program. A team of engineers from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Lincoln Laboratory joined forces to create this revolutionary communication system. The team has previously successfully demonstrated the technology, yet this is the first time it will be used on a spacecraft designed for human passengers heading to the Moon.
Typically, NASA has used radio waves to transmit signals between spacecrafts and ground stations. However, laser communication will improve the quality and quantity of information sent and received. The way it works is simple. The Orion spacecraft will send collected data such as flight information, video transmissions and crew communication via a laser signal to ground stations in either Table Mountain, California or Las Cruces, New Mexico. Cloud coverage is an issue for laser communication, just as it is for stargazing in Michigan! This is why these high and dry locations were chosen.
How Fast is O2O?
Think your internet is fast? Today, high-speed internet typically runs around 240 MBPS download speed, but NASA’s “space internet” will be even faster, transmitting data at speeds of around 260 MBPS!
“At 260 megabits per second, O2O is capable of sending down 4K high-definition video from the Moon,” Steve Horowitz, O2O project manager, was quoted as saying in K. Murphy’s May 31, 2023 article, ““NASA Laser Communications Terminal delivered for Artemis II mission”.
Will we see Artemis II and III video from the Moon?
Absolutely! There is little reason for NASA not to stream these historic missions. Hopefully with Artemis III, we will get high-resolution 4K footage of the historic occasion of a woman and the first person of color adding both of their footprints to the Moon’s surface.
Information found at: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2023/nasa-laser-communications-terminal-delivered-for-artemis-ii-moon-mission
Brooke Edwards is a volunteer for NASA/JPL in Manistee County and a space science communicator. She will be hosting a presentation at 8 p.m., Friday, July 14, inside the Shelter House at Orchard Beach State Park. If skies are clear, a star party with a telescope for viewing will follow.
More stories by Brooke Edwards: HERE
