'An impressive leap': Artemis II used lasers to communicate 100000x faster
than the Apollo 13 mission

Date:
Sat, 18 Apr 2026 18:35:00 +0000

Description:
Laser communication systems on Artemis II promise extreme data speeds
compared to Apollo era radios, but still face environmental limitations.

FULL STORY
The sheer volume of data generated during
modern lunar missions has rendered old radio systems nearly obsolete.

Artemis II was expected to produce somewhere between 300GB and over 400GB of high-resolution imagery and telemetry by the missions end. By comparison, the Apollo 13 mission operated with a fraction of that capacity, and the
difference is not just incremental its a fundamental overhaul in how spacecraft talk to Earth.

Traditional radio frequencies could not move that much
data quickly enough, so engineers turned to an entirely different method:
laser communications.

Laser communications rely on invisible infrared light, which travels at the same speed as radio waves but carries far more information.

Because infrared light has a higher frequency, it can pack more data into
each transmission - and the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System (O2O) demonstrated the ability to downlink over 100GB of data.

This system could move roughly 36GB in a single hour, outpacing traditional radio systems on the S-band, which could manage only about 7GB per day.

NASA noted, More data means more discoveries, although the practical
benefits for crew safety and real-time decision-making remain to be fully proven.

However, this system came with its earthly limitations, and any weather disruption could interrupt the flow of information.

Ground station telescopes at NASAs White Sands Complex in New Mexico and the Table Mountain Facility in California had to operate in high, dry
environments with minimal cloud cover to maintain a strong laser link.

Still, the O2O terminal comprising a 4-inch telescope, two gimbals, a modem, and a controller passed multi-day readiness reviews.

A NASA official described the achievement as an impressive leap forward, yet the system was not used on Artemis III, raising questions about the pace of adoption.

While a 100,000-fold improvement over Apollo 13 sounds extraordinary, the comparison deserves scrutiny.

Apollo 13s radio systems were designed in the 1960s, and modern radio technology has also improved considerably.

The real test will be whether laser communications prove reliable over deep-space distances without frequent ground-station interventions.

The Australian National University attempted to receive O2Os laser links
using affordable commercial components a demonstration that could validate
or undermine claims of scalability.

For now, the numbers are impressive, but space history is littered with promising technologies that struggled outside controlled conditions.

Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/an-impressive-leap-artemis-ii-used-lasers-to-com municate-100000x-faster-than-the-apollo-13-mission

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