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NASA’s laser link hit 267 Mbps near Mars range
A NASA-backed DSOC report says laser communications far outperformed radio links across Mars-like distances, reaching 267 Mbps at 55 million km.
Image: TechXplore
NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) test has shown that laser-based links can move far more data than traditional radio systems across Mars-range distances. In a new report published in the IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, a Jet Propulsion Laboratory team said the system reached 267 Mbps at 55 million km and 8.3 Mbps at 400 million km—well above the less than 1 Mbps typical of RF links at similar ranges.
The DSOC setup combines a ground transmitter, a spacecraft terminal, and a ground receiver. NASA launched the flight terminal, a laser transceiver, aboard the Psyche mission in October 2023. The spacecraft is headed to asteroid 16 Psyche between Mars and Jupiter and is due to arrive in 2029.
According to lead author Dr. Angel E. Velasco, the demonstration showed optical communications are ready to support future deep-space missions. The project’s ground laser transmitter at JPL’s Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory uses a 1-meter telescope and a 5.6 kW modulated uplink laser. Because the site sits near four major airports, it includes an automated safety system that shutters the laser to avoid illuminating aircraft or satellites.
On the receive side, the ground laser receiver at Palomar Observatory uses the 5-meter Hale telescope paired with a tungsten silicide superconducting nanowire single photon detector array. Downlink signals are decoded in real time.
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The system operated through its two-year prime mission until September 2025, with weekly communication windows. JPL said the transmitter worked reliably in both day and night conditions and even through thin clouds, while maintaining microradian-level pointing accuracy. The team also reported no accidental aircraft or satellite illumination and no damage to the transmitter hardware.
What still needs to happen
The report stops short of calling DSOC mission-ready everywhere. To turn the demo into an operational service, NASA would need more investment and a global ground-based optical communications network to reduce weather-related outages and maintain continuous coverage.
“NASA’s DSOC demonstration successfully showed that optical communication technology is ready to support future deep space missions.”
“Overall, the DSOC hardware remains healthy and the DSOC team is excited to see how this success will translate to support optical communications in future NASA deep space and crewed missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond.”
Frontier Editor
Dan is our resident futurist, covering electric mobility, space exploration, and the smart home. He's interested in atoms just as much as bits. Whether it's a new battery chemistry, a reusable rocket, or a protocol that finally makes IoT devices talk to each other, Dan breaks down the engineering that pushes humanity forward.
via TechXplore
