5 Things to Know About NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications

NASA's Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) is a technology demonstration mission that will test the feasibility of using lasers to transmit data from deep space. DSOC is scheduled to launch on October 12, 2023, as part of the Psyche mission to the asteroid belt.

Here are five things to know about NASA's DSOC mission:

1. DSOC is the first time NASA will test laser communications from deep space.

Until now, NASA has used radio waves to communicate with all of its spacecraft that travel beyond the moon. Radio waves are reliable, but they have a limited data capacity. Laser communications, on the other hand, can transmit much more data, at much faster speeds.

DSOC will test how well laser communications works over long distances and in the harsh environment of deep space. If successful, DSOC could revolutionize the way we communicate with our future space missions.

2. DSOC uses cutting-edge laser technology.

The DSOC flight transceiver is a state-of-the-art laser communications device that is the smallest and lightest of its kind. It is also the first laser communications device to be designed specifically for deep space missions.

The DSOC flight transceiver will use a narrow beam of infrared laser light to transmit data to the ground station at Caltech's Palomar Observatory in California. The laser beam will be so narrow that it will only be about 10 feet wide at the ground station, even after traveling over 240 million miles.

3. DSOC will encounter unique challenges.

One of the biggest challenges facing DSOC is the distance between the spacecraft and the ground station. At over 240 million miles, this is more than twice the distance between the Earth and the sun.

Another challenge is that the laser beam will need to be pointed with great precision. Even a small misalignment could cause the laser beam to miss the ground station entirely.

To overcome these challenges, DSOC will use a number of advanced technologies, including:

·         A pointing system that uses a star tracker to keep the laser beam aligned with the ground station.

·         A receiver that uses a superconducting detector array to detect the faint laser signal.

·         A coding scheme that is designed to correct for errors caused by atmospheric turbulence.

4. DSOC is a collaborative effort.

DSOC is being developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in collaboration with a number of other organizations, including Caltech, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

The DSOC ground station at Caltech's Palomar Observatory is being funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

5. DSOC is a critical step towards future deep space missions.

If successful, DSOC will pave the way for future deep space missions that can transmit high-resolution images and videos back to Earth. DSOC could also enable new types of science missions, such as real-time remote control of robotic spacecraft.

NASA is already planning to use laser communications for a number of upcoming missions, including the Artemis II mission to the moon and the Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter's moon Europa.

More about the mission

DSOC is a technology demonstration mission that is part of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) program. STMD funds missions that develop and test new technologies that could be used for future NASA missions.

DSOC is scheduled to launch on October 12, 2023, as part of the Psyche mission to the asteroid belt. Psyche is a metal asteroid that is thought to be the remnant of a protoplanet that was stripped of its rocky mantle.

DSOC will test laser communications during the first two years of Psyche's journey to the asteroid belt. During this time, DSOC will transmit data to the ground station at Caltech's Palomar Observatory in California.

The DSOC flight transceiver is attached to the Psyche spacecraft. It is a state-of-the-art laser communications device that is the smallest and lightest of its kind. It is also the first laser communications device to be designed specifically for deep space missions.

The DSOC ground station at Caltech's Palomar Observatory is equipped with a 200-inch (5.1-meter) telescope and a superconducting detector array. The telescope will collect the laser signal from Psyche, and the detector array will convert the signal into electrical signals.

Conclusion

NASA's DSOC mission is a critical step towards the future of deep space communications. If successful, DSOC will revolutionize the way we communicate with our future space missions.