International Space Station to host trial of NASA's integrated-photonics modem

NASA’s first integrated-photonics modem will be tested in 2020 on the International Space Station as part of the agency’s multi-year Laser Communications Relay Demonstration programme.

The mobile phone-sized device incorporates optics-based functions - including lasers, switches, and wires - onto a microchip.

Once aboard the space station, the so-called Integrated Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) LEO (Low-Earth Orbit) User Modem and Amplifier (ILLUMA) will serve as a low-Earth orbit terminal for NASA's LCRD, demonstrating further capabilities for high-speed, laser-based communications.

With missions demanding higher data rates, the need for LCRD has become more critical, said Don Cornwell, director of NASA's Advanced Communication and Navigation Division within the space Communications and Navigation Program, which is funding the modem's development.

According to NASA, LCRD promises to transform the way the agency sends and receives data, video and other information. It will use lasers to encode and transmit data at rates up to 100 times faster than today's communications equipment whilst requiring significantly less mass and power.