Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

Thanks to CTOnews.com netizen Alejandro86 for the clue delivery! CTOnews.com NASA and SpaceX plan to launch Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) on November 5. Among the payloads launched this time, the ILLUMA-T module deserves the most attention, which can realize a new laser communication system after being installed on the space station.

NASA's ILLUMA-T payload communicates with the LCRD via laser signals. Photo source: NASA / Dave RyanCTOnews.com Note: ILLUMA-T stands for Integrated LCRD Low-Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal, which makes communication between space station and ground more stable.

NASA's ILLUMA-T payload has been delivered to SpaceX's Dragon Island, and the team has integrated the payload into the Dragon spacecraft in preparation for launch in November. After SpaceX astronauts install the ILLUMA-T system on the space station, they will launch the first test of laser communication relay, laying the foundation for future lunar communication.

Jason Mitchell of NASA said in a press release: "Future missions may require very large data requirements, so we have to think about how to meet these needs, and more data means more discoveries, and NASA will work hard to improve communications."

Illustration of NASA laser communications relay demonstration communicating with the International Space Station via a laser link. Source: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center ILLUMA-T, managed by NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program, completed NASA's first two-way, end-to-end laser communications relay in collaboration with NASA's LCRD (Laser Communications Relay Demonstration).

Launched in December 2021, LCRD is currently transmitting data between two ground stations on Earth through a series of experiments demonstrating the benefits of laser communications from geosynchronous orbit.

NASA laser communications roadmap. Photo by NASA / Dave Ryan

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