The next laser comm system LCRD will have a data rate of 1.22 Gb/s (coded) and 2.88 Gb/s uncoded. It is scheduled to launch in 2017.
This is awesome tech. Are there any plans to fly an experiment like that out to interplanetary distances yet ? Having a data rate like that from a martian data relay orbiter would be amazing, even if its not the primary data link.
There have indeed been design studies that show it possible. Of course the further you go the more challenging things get. Especially when looking close to the sun.
The next laser comm system LCRD will have a data rate of 1.22 Gb/s (coded) and 2.88 Gb/s uncoded. It is scheduled to launch in 2017.
This is awesome tech. Are there any plans to fly an experiment like that out to interplanetary distances yet ? Having a data rate like that from a martian data relay orbiter would be amazing, even if its not the primary data link.
There have indeed been design studies that show it possible. Of course the further you go the more challenging things get. Especially when looking close to the sun.
Is there any likelihood such a payload could get onto the 'Curiosity 2' rover?
Is there any likelihood such a payload could get onto the 'Curiosity 2' rover?
it isn't for rovers
The particular payload, but the technology could be great. In fact, if EDRS is based on LCT, I doubt GEO<->LEO is less complicated than MMO<->Mars surface. Keeping the optics clean might be a challenge, but if you can do 100Mbps bursts you'd only need short communication windows and use a store and forward architecture.
Of course no current or planned Mars orbiter will carry LCT capability, so it's sort of a moot point.
Is there any likelihood such a payload could get onto the 'Curiosity 2' rover?
it isn't for rovers
The particular payload, but the technology could be great. In fact, if EDRS is based on LCT, I doubt GEO<->LEO is less complicated than MMO<->Mars surface. Keeping the optics clean might be a challenge, but if you can do 100Mbps bursts you'd only need short communication windows and use a store and forward architecture.
Of course no current or planned Mars orbiter will carry LCT capability, so it's sort of a moot point.
This is wandering off topic, but is the bottleneck between the relay and the rover, or the relay and earth?