On October 3, NASA’s Psyche spacecraft successfully transmitted a laser signal from Mars orbit back to Earth, marking a significant milestone in the mission that launched this spacecraft into space.
Psyche Spacecraft.
Previously, on July 29, NASA successfully tested deep space optical communication by sending a laser signal from Earth to the Psyche spacecraft, which is approximately 460 million kilometers away, marking the conclusion of the first operational phase of the Psyche spacecraft since its launch into space.
Psyche Spacecraft was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in October 2023. This is the first time the United States has launched a spacecraft to study a metal-rich asteroid located in the outer region of the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
In this space exploration mission, NASA utilized deep space optical communication via laser, enabling data transmission speeds up to 100 times faster than previous radio frequency methods. The laser can transmit complex scientific information as well as high-resolution images and videos.
NASA considers this milestone as evidence that one day humans may be able to send and receive data from Mars using lasers. The transmitted information helps humanity achieve the next steps in sending astronauts to Mars and beyond in the universe.
According to NASA, the Psyche spacecraft is still operating well and stably.
