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STMD: Tech Demo Missions
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About STMD
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STMD Programs
Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) Overview
(/directorates/spacetech/programs) "Scienceandtechnologymultiplyaroundus.Toanincreasingextent,theydictatethelanguagesinwhichwespeakandthink.Eitherweusethose
languages,orweremainmute."
STMD Solicitations J.G.Ballard,20thcenturyBritishfuturist
(/directorates/spacetech/solicitations)
RadiobasedspacecommunicationshavebeentheconventionsincethedaysofNASA'sMercury(http://www
pao.ksc.nasa.gov/history/mercury/mercury.htm)andGemini(http://www
NAC TI&E Committee
pao.ksc.nasa.gov/history/gemini/gemini.htm)programs,butevenwithdramaticimprovementstothetechnology
(/directorates/spacetech/nac_ti_committee/index.html)
inthelasthalfcentury,radiocommunicationsarechallengedbymodernmissionneeds,whichcallfor
significantlyhigherdatarates,orcurrentlevelsofperformancerequiringalotlessmassandpowercritical
STMD Resources
resourcesonanyspacecraft.
(/directorates/spacetech/about_us/resources/index.html)

NowtheLaserCommunicationsRelayDemonstrationmission,orLCRD,proposestorevolutionizethewaywe
sendandreceivedata,videoandotherinformation,usinglaserstoencodeandtransmitdataatrates10to100
Technology Demonstration Missions timesfasterthantoday'sfastestRFradios,usingsignificantlylessmassandpower.Thewavelengthofthelaser
lightisordersofmagnitudeshorterthanradiowaves,meaningtheenergyisnotspreadoutasmuchasit
travelsthroughspace.
TDM Fact Sheet
(/sites/default/files/atoms/files/tdmfactsheet03- Forexample,atypicalKaBandsignalfromMarsspreadsoutsomuchthatthediameteroftheenergywhenit (/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/ssl_lcrd_accommod
2016.pdf) reachesEarthislargerthanEarth'sdiameter.Atypicalopticalsignal,however,willonlyspreadoverthe _mpdr_update1_page_1_image_0001.jpg)
()
equivalentofasmallportionoftheUnitedStatesthusthereislessenergywasted.Theshorterwavelengthalso
TDM Newsletters meansthereissignificantlymorebandwidthavailableforanopticalsignal,whileradiosystemshaveto
(/mission_pages/tdm/main/tdm_newsletter.html) increasinglyfightforaverylimitedbandwidth.

Past Missions Suchaleapintechnologycoulddelivervideoandhighresolutionmeasurementsfromspacecraftoverplanetsacrossthesolarsystempermittingresearchersto

(/mission_pages/tdm/past/index.html) makedetailedstudiesofconditionsonotherworldsthewaywenowtrackhurricanesandotherclimateandenvironmentalchangeshereonEarth.TheLaser
CommunicationsRelayDemonstrationleveragessignificantworkdonebyMITLincolnLaboratory(http://www.ll.mit.edu/)inLexington,Massachusetts,forNASA's
LunarLaserCommunicationsDemonstration(http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/61673),whichinturnbuiltuponthepioneeringworkdoneforNASA'sMars
LaserCommunicationsDemonstration(http://trsnew.jpl.nasa.gov/dspace/bitstream/2014/38024/1/040216.pdf).
Related Topics

TheLCRDteamisledbyNASA'sGoddardSpaceFlightCenter(http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html)inGreenbelt,Maryland.Partnersinclude
All Topics A-Z (/topics) NASA'sJetPropulsionLaboratory(http://www.nasa.gov/centers/jpl/home/index.html)inPasadena,California,andMITLincolnLaboratory.

Theteamisworkingtoflyandvalidateareliable,capableandcosteffectiveopticalcommunicationstechnologydirectlyapplicabletothenextgenerationof
NASA'sspacecommunicationsnetwork,servingbothnearEarthanddeepspacemissionrequirements.

Thepayloadwillbeflowntoorbitonacommercialsatellite.MissionoperatorsatgroundstationsinCaliforniaandHawaiiwilltestitsinvisible,nearinfraredlasers,
beamingdatatoandfromthesatelliteastheyrefinethetransmissionprocess,studydifferentencodingtechniquesandperfecttrackingsystems.Theyalsowill
studytheeffectsofcloudsandotherdisruptionsoncommunications,studyingmitigatingsolutionsincludingrelayoperationsinorbitorbackupreceivingstations
ontheground.

Theinvestigationwillconductgroundtechnologyvalidationtestingin2017.Itwillflyasacommercialsatellitepayloadin2019.

TheLCRDprojectissponsoredbyNASA'sSpaceTechnologyMissionDirectorate(http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/home/index.html)andismanaged
byGoddardSpaceFlightCenter(http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html).

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