NASA’s new communications system LCRD

Subject – Science and Tech

Context – NASA launched its new Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD)

Concept –

NASA launched its new Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) — the agency’s first-ever laser communications system.
The LCRD will help the agency test optical communication in space.
Currently, most NASA spacecraft use radio frequency communications to send data. Optical communications will help increase the bandwidth 10 to 100 times more than radio frequency systems.
The LCRD payload is hosted onboard the US Department of Defense’s Space Test Program Satellite 6 (STPSat-6).
It will be in a geosynchronous orbit, over 35,000km above Earth.

Laser VS radio

Laser communications and radio waves use different wavelengths of light.
Laser uses infrared light and has a shorter wavelength than radio waves. This will help the transmission of more data in a short time.

Advantages of optical communications

Optical communications systems are smaller in size, weight, and require less power compared with radio instruments.
A smaller size means more room for science instruments.
Less weight means a less expensive launch.
Less power means less drain on the spacecraft’s batteries.
With optical communications supplementing radio, missions will have unparalleled communications capabilities.