NASA has launched its new Laser Communications Relay Demonstration(LCRD).<\/span><\/p>\n LCRD is NASA\u2019s first-ever laser communications system.<\/span><\/p>\n Purpose:<\/b> It has been launched to help <\/span>demonstrate the <\/span>benefits<\/span> of space-to-ground laser communications also called optical communications.<\/span><\/p>\n Orbit:<\/b> The LCRD payload is hosted onboard the US Department of Defense\u2019s Space Test Program Satellite 6 (STPSat-6). It will be in a geosynchronous orbit over 35,000 km above Earth.<\/span><\/p>\n Location of the Laser Systems:<\/b> Unlike radio frequency communications, optical signals cannot penetrate cloud coverage. That’s why, LCRD will transmit data to two ground stations, located in California and Hawaii. These locations were chosen for their minimal cloud coverage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Significance:<\/b> Currently, most NASA spacecraft use radio frequency communications to send data. But with the LASER communications capability further proven, NASA can start to implement laser communications on more missions, making it a standardized way to send and receive data.<\/span><\/p>\n Firstly,<\/b> laser communications and radio waves use different wavelengths. The laser uses infrared light and has a shorter wavelength than radio waves. This will help the transmission of more data in a short time.<\/span><\/p>\n Examples:<\/b><\/p>\n Secondly,<\/b> Optical or Laser communication systems are smaller in size, weight, and require less power compared with radio instruments. A smaller size means more room for science instruments. Less weight means a less expensive launch. Less power means less drain on the spacecraft\u2019s batteries. Hence, LCRD enabled <\/span>missions will have unparalleled communications capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n Source:<\/b> This post is based on the article \u201c<\/span>Explained: What is NASA\u2019s new communications system LCRD; its importance<\/b>\u201d<\/b> published in<\/span> Indian Express on 8th December 2021.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What is the News? NASA has launched its new Laser Communications Relay Demonstration(LCRD). What is Laser Communications Relay Demonstration(LCRD)? LCRD is NASA\u2019s first-ever laser communications system. Purpose: It has been launched to help demonstrate the benefits of space-to-ground laser communications also called optical communications. Orbit: The LCRD payload is hosted onboard the US Department of… Continue reading Explained: What is NASA\u2019s new communications system LCRD; its importance<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10317,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1566,1738,9],"tags":[10500],"class_list":["post-151704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-factly-articles","category-science-and-technology-daily-factly-articles","category-public","tag-indian-express","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":{"total":0,"cached_at":"","cached_date":1704905424},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10317"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151704"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151704\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What is Laser Communications Relay Demonstration(LCRD)?<\/b><\/h5>\n
What is the difference between Laser vs Radio Communications?<\/b><\/h5>\n
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