NASA recently demonstrated technology that could help expand the World Wide Web across the galaxy. They used laser beams to send messages from space to Earth, a distance of almost 16 million kilometers (10 million miles). This was 40 times farther than the Moon is from Earth.
Traditionally, we use radio waves for communication with distant spacecraft, but using higher frequencies like near infrared can increase bandwidth and data speed. This technology could eventually allow us to send high-definition video messages to Mars without a delay.
The test was part of NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment, which aims to improve existing methods of getting information back to Earth. Engineers used infrared light, which can be easily transmitted in laser form and requires less power than radio waves.
However, it wasn’t a simple task. The data had to be encoded into photons emitted by the laser, requiring heavy-duty instruments to prepare and translate the information at the other end. Another challenge was having the system adapt its positioning configuration in real-time as the spacecraft and telescope moved through space.
The test was successful, with the laser transceiver on board the Psyche spacecraft making contact with the Hale Telescope at the Palomar Observatory in California. The Psyche spacecraft is on a years-long mission to explore the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and tests will continue to refine this innovative technology.
Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-beamed-a-laser-message-to-earth-from-10-million-miles-away