In 2023, NASA achieved a massive leap in data transmission — 200 gigabits per second using laser technology from space! Optical communications are rapidly transforming how we share data.
This breakthrough promises faster, more secure data transfers and is set to revolutionize industries, from defense to real-time global connectivity.
Big shifts are coming!
From a satellite in space, the agency fired a tiny laser back to Earth which transmitted a huge amount of data: 200 gigabits per second, the highest data rate ever achieved by optical communications technology. This transmission rate enabled the transfer of 3.6 terabytes of data to Earth in just 6 minutes. For comparison, the $10bn state of the art James Webb telescope, launched in 2021, can only transmit around 57 gigabytes of scientific data per day. And the reason Nasa could transmit so much data, so quickly, was because it used light (optical communication), rather than the traditional radio frequency that is widely relied on today. This has turned optical communications into a rapidly evolving sector, featuring both big name and new players — one of the most interesting of which is the French company, Cailabs.
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