Laser Transmission Breakthrough: NASA's Historic 'First Light' from 10 Million Miles Away

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NASA's Psyche spacecraft beamed a near-infrared laser 10 million miles into space, marking a pioneering achievement for the agency.

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The laser carried encoded test data and was transmitted from Psyche to Caltech’s Palomar Observatory in California.

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This transmission spanned a distance 40 times greater than that between the Earth and the Moon.

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In comparison, SpaceX's recent Starship voyage reached around 93 miles into space.

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The laser transmission occurred on Nov. 14, using cutting-edge technology from Psyche's laser transceiver.

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NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment facilitated this historic "first light" event.

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The success holds promise for enhanced data transmission in the solar system, supporting future exploration missions.

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DSOC aims for data rates 10 to 100 times faster than current radio frequency systems.

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Near-infrared lasers pack data into tighter waves, enabling increased data reception at ground stations.

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This advancement will benefit human and robotic missions and improve scientific instrument resolution, aiding future space exploration.

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