NASA streams first 4K video of Earth-based aircraft to International Space Station

The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently announced that the first 4K video was transmitted from Earth to the International Space Station (ISS). In reality, it was a bit more complicated than that: Using laser communication technology, video images were transmitted from an aircraft to the ISS and then sent back to Earth.

To conduct the test, a team from NASA’s Glenn Research Center mounted a portable laser on the underside of a Pilatus PC-12 aircraft. During a typical flight, they sent data to a station in Cleveland, USA, and then to a test facility in New Mexico. Finally, the data was sent into space.

As the space agency explained, the information traveled about 25,000 kilometers to NASA’s laser communications center (LCRD), but was transmitted to the ISS and then sent back to the planet. That is, 4K video takes a journey from Earth to space and back.

“These experiments are a tremendous success. We can now build on the success of streaming 4K HD video to and from the Space Station to provide our Artemis astronauts with future capabilities, such as HD video conferencing, which will be critical to crew health and coordination of activities,” said Dr. Daniel Raible, lead researcher on the project, in an official NASA statement.

NASA: Earth-to-space transmission

It may seem like a simple feat, but Transmitting high-quality video in space is crucial to aiding future long-duration missions to the fringes of space. For example, on a trip to Mars, astronauts will need a laser communications system to send large amounts of information to scientists on Earth.

In addition to advancing communications systems for long-term space travel, the mission aims to develop technology that could communicate the next lunar walk during the Artemis III mission. The infrared laser technology allows for communications 10 to 100 times larger and faster than NASA’s current system.

“The Glenn Research Center teams ensure that new ideas don’t just sit in labs, but are actually tested in relevant environments to ensure that this technology can be developed and used to improve the lives of all of us,” said James Demers, Glenn Aircraft Operations Manager.

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