Laser Communications Relay Demonstration
Program overview
CountryUnited States
OrganizationNASA
PurposeLaser communication in space
StatusOngoing
Program history
Cost$310 million
Duration2013 (2013)–present

The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) is a NASA mission that will test laser communication in space for extremely long distances,[1] between Earth and geosynchronous orbit.

After being integrated into STPSat-6, a part of STP-3, LCRD launched on 7 December 2021 on an Atlas V 551.[2][3][4]

Results from LCRD's first year of experiments in orbit have been shared online[5] and through a SPIE publication.[6]

Overview

The LCRD mission was selected for development in 2011, with launch on board a commercial satellite scheduled for 2019.[7] The technology demonstration payload will be positioned above the equator, a prime location for line-of-sight to other orbiting satellites and ground stations. Space laser communications technology has the potential to provide 10 to 100 times higher data rates than traditional radio frequency systems for the same mass and power. Alternatively, numerous NASA studies have shown that a laser communications system will use less mass and power than a radio frequency system for the same data rate.[8]

The LCRD mission is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and in partnership with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory.[8]

In May 2018, the General Accounting Office (GAO) says there have been delays, funding cuts, and cost overruns but it should be ready to launch by November 2019,[9] as a payload on a U.S. Air Force Space Test Program mission STP-3, on an Atlas V 551.[10]: 65 

By April 2020, after further delays and cost overruns, it was expected to launch in January 2021, as a payload on a U.S. Air Force Space Test Program satellite (STPSat 6, part of STP-3 launch).[11] STPSat-6 is destined for an orbit slightly above the geostationary orbit.[12]

Results

Results from LCRD's first year of experiments in orbit have been shared online[5] and through a SPIE publication.[6]

Precursor mission

Depiction of the optical module of the LLCD

The concept was first tested in outer space aboard the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) orbiter in 2013. LADEE's Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) pulsed laser system conducted a successful test on 18 October 2013, transmitting data between the spacecraft and its ground station on Earth at a distance of 385,000 km (239,000 mi). This test set a downlink record of 622 megabits per second from spacecraft to ground, and an "error-free data upload rate of 20 Mbps" from ground station to spacecraft.[13][14]

Project purpose

The goal of the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration project is to prove the utility of bidirectional optical communications relay services between geosynchronous orbit and Earth. The project supports the advanced communications, navigation, and avionics exploration key focus areas. This effort will prove optical communications technology in an operational setting, providing data rates up to 100 times faster than today's radio frequency-based communication systems. The demonstration will measure and characterize the system performance over a variety of conditions, develop operational procedures, assess applicability for future missions, and provide an on-orbit capability for test and demonstration of standards for optical relay communications. This capability, if successfully demonstrated, could be quickly infused into NASA missions, other Federal agencies, and U.S. satellite manufacturers and operators given the rising demand for bandwidth.[15]

Laser Communications Relay Demonstration will fly as a hosted payload with the U.S. Air Force Space Test Program (STPSat-6). Upon a successful flight demonstration, NASA will provide the communications industry with access to the integrated system to test these new capabilities for commercial applications.[15]

ILLUMA-T

One of LCRD's first operational users will be the Integrated LCRD Low-Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal (ILLUMA-T), a payload hosted on the International Space Station. The terminal will receive high-resolution science data from experiments and instruments onboard the space station and then transfer this data to LCRD, which will then transmit it to a ground station. After the data arrives on Earth, it will be delivered to mission operation centers and mission scientists. The ILLUMA-T payload was sent to the ISS on SpaceX CRS-29 on 10 November 2023.[16]

The terminal achieved first light, on 5 December, 2023.[17]

Project parameters

LCRD will conduct a minimum two-year flight demonstration to advance optical communications technology toward infusion into Near Earth operational systems while growing the capabilities of industry sources. Objectives include:[15]

  • Demonstrating bidirectional optical communications between geosynchronous Earth orbit and Earth;
  • Measuring and characterizing the system performance over a variety of conditions;
  • Developing operational procedures and assessing applicability for future missions; and
  • Providing an on-orbit capability for test and demonstration of standards for optical relay communications.

Ground stations

LCRD will use two ground stations, Optical Ground Station (OGS)-1 and -2, at Table Mountain, California, and Haleakalā, Hawaii.[18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Laser Comm: That's a Bright Idea (video)". NASA. 11 September 2012. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ↑ Clark, Stephen (6 December 2021). "NASA laser communications experiment set for launch into geosynchronous orbit". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  3. ↑ "NASA Laser Communications Innovations: A Timeline". NASA. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ↑ “NASA’s Laser Communications Tech, Science Experiment Safely in Space” NASA/GSFC Release 21-166 on 7 December 2021
  5. 1 2 Schauer, Katherine (26 June 2023). "NASA's Laser Communications Relay: A Year of Experimentation". NASA.
  6. 1 2 Israel, David J.; Edwards, Bernard L.; Butler, Richard L.; Moores, John D.; Piazzolla, Sabino; Toit, Nic du; Braatz, Lena (15 March 2023). "Early results from NASA's laser communications relay demonstration (LCRD) experiment program". SPIE. pp. 10–24. doi:10.1117/12.2655481 – via www.spiedigitallibrary.org.
  7. ↑ "Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) Overview". NASA. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  8. 1 2 "Goddard Press Release No. 12-074". NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Archived from the original on 15 February 2013. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  9. ↑ Messier, Doug (16 May 2018). "GAO: Laser Communications Mission Delayed by Funding, Redesign Issues". Parabolic Arc.
  10. ↑ "NASA GAO Assessment of major projects 2018" (PDF).
  11. ↑ Messier, Doug (3 June 2020). "NASA Laser Communications Project Running Behind Schedule, Over Budget". Parabolic Arc.
  12. ↑ Krebs, Gunter. "STPSat 6". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  13. ↑ Messier, Doug (22 October 2013). "NASA Laser System Sets Record with Data Transmissions From Moon". Parabolic Arc. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  14. ↑ "Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration Reveals Bright Future For Space Communication". Red Orbit. 24 December 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  15. 1 2 3 "FY 2021 PRESIDENT'S BUDGET REQUEST SUMMARY" (PDF). NASA. 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  16. ↑ NASA's First Two-way End-to-End Laser Communications System Oct 2023
  17. ↑ Schauer, Katherine; NASA. "NASA's space station laser comm terminal achieves first link". phys.org. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  18. ↑ Schauer, Katherine (28 October 2021). "Getting NASA data to the ground with lasers". Space Daily.
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