NASA receives the signal 16 million kilometers away in space

a North American Space Agency (NASA) It reported that it received a signal from a spacecraft 16 million kilometers from Earth, through a laser mechanism that can transfer communications between spacecraft, according to the British newspaper. The Independent.

This space signal is considered a successful test of an optical communications system in deep space (Follow DSOC in English) from NASA, marks the first time that data has been transmitted using a laser farther from the Moon – about 40 times the distance from Earth to the Moon’s surface.

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Until now, almost all communications with ships in deep space has been through radio signals, sent and received via vast antennas on Earth.

Although these radio signals have proven reliable, their bandwidth is limited, which means it is slow or impossible to send large files such as high-definition photos and videos.

NASA’s work on DSOC is an attempt to use optical communications using lasers, a technology that can improve data rates by up to 100 times, according to the space agency.

A mission towards oneself

First attempt to test technology outside the Moon He left Earth on NASA’s Psyche missionWho left Earth on the 14th of last month on a mission to study a distant asteroid.

SpaceX’s powerful Falcon Heavy rocket, carrying NASA’s probe, lifted off as planned at 10:19 a.m. local time (3:19 p.m. GMT) from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Last week, this equipment was discovered by a NASA laser beacon in California. NASA says the discovery of “first light” is part of a series of experiments it hopes to prove that laser technology can work.

The spacecraft carries a laser transceiver that can send and receive near-infrared laser signals.

NASA’s probe will travel approx 3.5 billion kilometers to get there, with an expected arrival date of summer 2029.