LGS Innovations (Herndon, VA), a technology company providing specialized mission-critical communication research and solutions, will be supporting the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Orion EM-2 Optical Communications (O2O) project. LGS Innovations will provide an optical modem that will enable broadband data communications to and from the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle designed to take humans into lunar orbit.
Laser communications, the next-generation space communications technology, can transmit data over long distances at rates up to 100 times faster than traditional radio frequency systems.
“We’re proud to support yet another NASA project with advanced optical technology to help meet the ever-increasing requirements for more bandwidth and faster connections,” said Kevin Kelly, LGS Innovations CEO. “Fast and reliable communications are key to the success of exploration missions and can transform the work and life of space crews.”
The LGS Innovations modem will convert the data generated on the Orion spacecraft to an optical signal, allowing it to be beamed from the vicinity of the Moon to a receiver on Earth. It will also be capable of receiving the optical signal from Earth and converting it to data for the spacecraft.