Space pioneer NASA has succeeded in sending the longest streaming video carried by laser beam from beyond the Moon.
Received from a whopping 19 million miles (31 million kilometers) away, this isn't just any old video – it's ultra-high-definition and features, wait for it... a cute cat called Taters.
Confused? Let’s rewind.
Last month, NASA tested the practicality of using near-infrared laser beams to transmit data from its Psyche mission - a project that aims to study a metal-rich asteroid with the same name, located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
The goal was to transmit the data at previously unimaginable speeds, which it did - hitting a distance of 16 million kilometers (10 million miles) from Earth.
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However, it just beat that with its latest, feline-themed interstellar transmission.
Although NASA insists it's not just the distance that's impressive here, it's what this achievement represents for future space exploration.
“This accomplishment underscores our commitment to advancing optical communications as a key element to meeting our future data transmission needs,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy in a statement.
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“Increasing our bandwidth is essential to achieving our future exploration and science goals, and we look forward to the continued advancement of this technology and the transformation of how we communicate during future interplanetary missions.”
Now, let's talk about the star of the show - Taters.
Owned by a Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) employee, this ginger feline has become the latest internet sensation, and don’t worry, it wasn't actually in space.
The video was uploaded to the spacecraft before its launch. No animals were sent on a one-way trip to the cosmos this time.
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The video of Taters journeyed from Psyche to the Hale Telescope at Mount Palomar, then to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where it was received with elation. And the big deal here is that the data transfer from Psyche was actually faster than what’s standard back down on Earth.
“Despite transmitting from millions of miles away, it was able to send the video faster than most broadband internet connections,” said JPL’s Technical Group Lead, Ryan Rogalin.
“In fact, after receiving the video at Palomar, it was sent to JPL over the internet, and that connection was slower than the signal coming from deep space.”
The Psyche spacecraft transmitted Taters' 15-second laser chase at a whopping 267 megabits per second, taking 101 seconds to reach Earth.
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To put this into perspective, NASA's Magellan mission to Venus downloaded a total of 1.2 terabits over four years. Psyche managed to download 1.3 terabits in just a few test runs, setting new records in space communication.
However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. As Psyche ventures further from Earth, aligning the laser for clear communication will become increasingly challenging. The spacecraft and Earth's relative movements will need to constantly be adjusted to maintain a stable connection.
Nevertheless, the breakthrough will only go towards enhancing optical communications, which are vital for future Mars missions and other interplanetary adventures.