NASA sent first 4K video from aircraft to the space station

Glenn Research Centre of NASA in Cleveland sent the first 4K video footage using an aircraft to the International Space Station (ISS). It used optical laser communications to send this video.

This development was part of a series of trials for new technology that might allow astronauts on the Artemis missions to be the live-streamed moon.

In the past, NASA has sent data to and from orbit through radio waves. However, laser communications can transfer 10-100 times more data more quickly using infrared light.

Imagine turning on the local news to watch live 4K video footage of the first woman and first person of color walking on the Moon. Researchers at Glenn are conducting specialized aeronautics testing over Northeast Ohio to turn that dream into a reality: https://t.co/CRhzpRgOMf pic.twitter.com/FwCdeVVhoo
— NASA's Glenn Research Center (@NASAglenn) July 24, 2024

However, NASA sent the first 4K video by temporarily mounting a portable laser terminal on a Pilatus PC-12 aircraft. After that, it passed over Lake Erie while transmitting data from the aircraft to a Cleveland optical ground station.

The data was transmitted over an Earth-based network to NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Here researchers transmitted it using infrared light signals.

Afterward, the signals reached NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LRCD) after traveling 22,000 miles from Earth. LRCD is an experimental platform in orbit.

The ILLUMA-T (Integrated LRCD LEO User Modem and Amplifier Terminal) payload received the signals from the LRCD and subsequently transmitted data back to Earth. ILLUMA-T was installed on the orbiting laboratory.

Engineers of Glenn Centre in collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Small Business Innovation Research program of NASA also participated in video streaming to the space station.

NASA sent first 4K video — *Graphic showing the journey of aircraft PC-12 transmitting 4K video to and from the Space Station*

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This new method developed at Glenn is called “High-Rate Delay Tolerant Networking (HDTN).” It helped the signal penetrate cloud covers more efficiently during the experiments.

Dr. Daniel Raible is the lead scientist of the Glenn HDTN project. He remarked this project was a tremendous accomplishment.

He also said they could give their Artemis astronauts access to future capabilities like HD videoconferencing by building on the success of streaming 4K HD videos to and from the space station. It will also be crucial for crew health and activity coordination.