NASA is taking a step toward the next era of space communications with the launch of the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, or LCRD, on Sunday, Dec. 5.
LCRD is set to launch as part of the United States Space Force Space Systems Command’s Space Test Program 3 (STP-3) mission. STP-3 will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Launch coverage begins at 3:30 a.m. EST, with liftoff scheduled for 4:04 – 6:04 a.m. EST.
Laser communications offer data rates higher than traditional radio frequency systems, allowing more data per transmission. Once in orbit, LCRD will demonstrate the benefits of using infrared lasers to communicate information from space, including reduced size, weight, and power requirements for a communications system on a spacecraft.