Why NASA spacecraft fired a laser

Why NASA spacecraft fired a laser

Subject : Science and Tech

Section: Space technology

Context: NASA’s Psyche spacecraft, successfully fired a laser signal at Earth

More about the news:

• NASA’s Psyche spacecraft, positioned over 16 million kilometers away in space, accomplished a significant feat on November 14 by successfully emitting a laser signal directed at Earth.
• This spacecraft is en route to a distinctive metal-rich asteroid situated between Mars and Jupiter, known as Psyche, believed to be the nickel-iron core of an ancient planet.
• Scientists anticipate that studying this asteroid could yield valuable insights into the Earth’s own impenetrable iron core.
• In addition to this primary mission, the Psyche spacecraft will also conduct another task with potential implications for future space exploration.
• The details of this secondary mission, involving ‘space lasers,’ remain to be disclosed.

What is Space communication’s data rate problem:

• Communicating with spacecraft at vast distances presents significant challenges, with data rates being a critical concern.
• The primary method involves encoding data on various electromagnetic frequencies, similar to wireless communications on Earth.
• Currently, radio waves are the predominant choice for space communication due to their desirable propagation properties, stemming from their large wavelengths.
• This enables them to pass through the atmosphere irrespective of weather, navigate through foliage and buildings, and bend around obstructions.
• Despite these advantages, scientists aim to use higher bandwidths for increased data transfer rates, as they carry more data per second.
• However, utilizing shorter wavelengths, associated with higher bandwidths, poses challenges as they tend to scatter upon encountering interference.

What is NASA’s revolutionary new technology:

• NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment is at the forefront of advancing space communication by pioneering the use of near-infrared laser signals.
• Similar to how fiber optics transformed traditional telephone lines on Earth, DSOC is poised to deliver data rates at least 10 times higher than current state-of-the-art radio telecommunications systems of comparable size and power.
• This breakthrough technology, housed in the Psyche spacecraft, aims to enhance data transmission during its journey to the main asteroid belt, offering benefits such as higher resolution images, increased scientific data volumes, and the possibility of streaming video.
• The DSOC transceiver, a crucial component, achieved “first light” on November 14 by successfully locking onto a powerful uplink laser beacon transmitted from NASA’s Table Mountain Facility near Wrightwood, California. 
• Overcoming the challenges associated with higher bandwidths, DSOC relies on “extremely precise pointing.”
• Achieving this precision involves isolating the transceiver from the spacecraft’s vibrations and compensating for the constantly changing positions of Earth and the spacecraft.
• The analogy provided by NASA illustrates the precision required as “hitting a dime from a mile away while the dime is moving,” emphasizing the need for accuracy in targeting.
• Furthermore, the vast distance between the spacecraft and Earth necessitates the use of novel signal-processing techniques to extract information from the weak laser signals transmitted through space.

What is NASA’s Psyche Spacecraft:

• Psyche, a space mission under the National Aeronautics and Space Administration , was launched in 2023 with the goal of exploring the origin of planetary cores.
• It aims to achieve this by orbiting and studying the metallic asteroid 16 Psyche, commencing its observations in 2029.
• Positioned between Mars and Jupiter, 16 Psyche is recognized as the heaviest M-type asteroid, characterized by elevated concentrations of metal phases such as iron-nickel.
• Scientists speculate that it could be the exposed iron core of a protoplanet or the aftermath of a collision that stripped away its mantle and crust.
• To propel and maneuver in orbit, Psyche utilizes solar-powered hall effect thrusters, marking the first instance of an interplanetary spacecraft employing this technology.
• Furthermore, it stands as the pioneering mission to employ laser optical communications beyond the Earth-Moon system.
• Managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the spacecraft is scheduled to orbit 16 Psyche from August 2029 until late 2031. Although it won’t land on the asteroid, the mission holds the potential to provide distinctive insights into Earth’s impenetrable iron core.