Question: Which of the following country is going to launch Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) mission in December 2021?
a) China
b) USA
c) India
d) UK
Answer: (b)
Related Facts:-
- On 04 December 2021; US space agency NASA is going to launch the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) mission.
- The mission will showcase the unique capabilities of optical communications that could be faster than radio waves.
- Space scientists today are concerned for development of constant communication as it will be the key to survival for interplanetary missions.
- In the present times the global missions to the Moon taking shape and private players planning to venture beyond to Mars.
- In this scenario new technology like that of LCRD could ramp up communications.
- Space agencies currently use radio frequency communications to communicate with spacecraft travelling towards the planets.
- Now with more and more data generations happening with new missions, a more effective communication medium needs to be raised.
- The LCRD mission will showcase the unique capabilities of optical communications to increase bandwidth for communicating in space.
- It will also reduce the size, weight, and power requirements for long distance missions in the space.
- The mission will be launched on the Space Test Program Satellite-6 (STPSat-6)
- LCRD MISSION
- The laser communication relay demonstration (LCRD) will be a first of its kind end-to-end laser relay system.
- It will be used for sending and receiving data over invisible infrared lasers at a rate of approximately 1.2 gigabits per second from geosynchronous orbit to Earth.
- NASA said that with the new system, bandwidth will increase between 10 to 100 times more than radio frequency systems.