14 DAY TRIAL // A new communications technology will be tested out by NASA with the help of the International Space Station. The new technology could improve spacecraft communications, enhance commercial missions and strengthen transmission of scientific data.
The Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) is an optical technology demonstration experiment. It could be used to improve NASA’s data rates for communications with future spacecraft.
“OPALS represent a tangible stepping stone for laser communications, and the International Space Station is a great platform for an experiment like this,” said Michael Kokorowski, project manager.
He claims that such a project could eventually increase the data transmitted to Earth from spacecraft.
The OPALS will be mounted on the outside of the International Space Station and communicate with a station in California.
System engineers compare the mission to aiming a laser pointer continuously for two minutes at a dot the diameter of a human hair from 30 feet away while walking.
Everyone is hopeful that the mission will prove to be a success.