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Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD)

Occurred 3 years ago

The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) aims to showcase the unique capabilities of optical communications.

Mission Type

Technology Demonstration

Partners

Space Force, Northrop Grumman, MIT

Launch

Dec. 7, 2021

status

Operations Ongoing

Laser Communications Relay Demonstration

Optical communications will provide significant benefits for missions, including bandwidth increases of 10 to 100 times more than radio frequency systems.

Additionally, optical communications provides decreased size, weight, and power requirements. A smaller size means more room for science instruments. Less weight means a less expensive launch. Less power means less drain on the spacecraft’s batteries. With optical communications supplementing radio, missions will have unparalleled communications capabilities.

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LCRD talking to Space Station and Ground Station
LCRD illustration
NASA

NASA's LCRD: 6 Things You Need to Know

NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration will use laser communications systems to transmit data from space to Earth. Below are six things you need to know about NASA’s revolutionary LCRD mission.

Learn More about NASA's LCRD: 6 Things You Need to Know

Laser Communications Relay Demonstration News

NASA’s Laser Relay System Sends Pet Imagery to, from Space Station
5 min read

Using NASA’s first two-way, end-to-end laser relay system, pictures and videos of cherished pets flew through space over laser communications…

Article
NASA’s Space Station Laser Comm Terminal Achieves First Link
3 min read

A NASA technology experiment on the International Space Station completed its first laser link with an in-orbit laser relay system…

Article
NASA’s First Two-way End-to-End Laser Communications Relay System
5 min read

NASA is demonstrating laser communications on multiple missions – showcasing the benefits infrared light can have for science and exploration…

Article
Disruption Tolerant Networking Experiments with Optical Communications
2 min read

The Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration (LLCD) is one of the instruments on the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE),…

Article
NASA’s Laser Communications Relay: A Year of Experimentation
6 min read

NASA’s first two-way laser relay system completed its first year of experiments on June 28 – a milestone for a…

Article
What’s Next: The Future of NASA’s Laser Communications
5 min read

NASA uses lasers to send information to and from Earth, employing invisible beams to traverse the skies, sending terabytes of…

Article
Laser Terminal Bound for Space Station Arrives at NASA Goddard for Testing
2 min read

Soon the International Space Station will get a laser light terminal: Beams of invisible infrared light will soar through the…

Article
Laser Terminal Bound for Space Station Arrives at NASA Goddard for Testing
2 min read

Soon the International Space Station will get a laser light terminal: Beams of invisible infrared light will soar through the…

Article
CubeSat Set to Demonstrate NASA’s Fastest Laser Link from Space
5 min read

NASA’s Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator 3 (PTD-3) mission, carrying the TeraByte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD) system, will debut on May 25 as…

Article

LCRD

Connect Students with Laser Communications!

Share your excitement about this new way of communicating with satellites by using these student and family resources.

Learn More about Connect Students with Laser Communications!
LCRD illustration of the laser communication with Earth in the background.
Laser communication
NASA