Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
NASA’s Artemis II mission used a laser communications system to enhance data transmission during its 10-day journey around the Moon. Attached externally to the Orion spacecraft, this system marked the first use of laser communications to support a crewed mission at lunar distance, transmitting high-definition video, photos, flight data, and voice communications to Earth when in line of sight with ground stations.
According to NASA, the laser terminal exchanged about 484 gigabytes of data between Orion and Earth—roughly the equivalent of 100 high-definition movies. The data included images such as Earthrise and Earthset, as well as engineering and science information. The system enabled data rates of 260 megabits per second, significantly exceeding traditional radio frequency systems, which were limited to single-digit megabits per second at lunar distances.
Dr. Kelsey Young, Artemis II lunar science lead, said that access to high-resolution imagery during mission phases allowed for faster insights and better scientific decision-making, enhancing the mission’s integrated science presence and crew discussions after the flyby.
The laser communications system operated alongside NASA’s Near Space Network and Deep Space Network, which provided primary radio frequency communications. Ground station telescopes at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and White Sands supported the laser downlinks, contributing to the mission’s high-definition data transmission capabilities.