NASA to show off space lasers, enabling faster transfer of data between Earth and space

NASA is planning to unveil a new laser communications system next month that will allow data to be transmitted between Earth and space at an accelerated rate.

Missions to space have frequently required capturing high-definition data like 4K video. With radio frequency systems, it would take roughly nine weeks to transmit a complete map of Mars back to Earth; with laser, it would take about nine days, according to NASA.  Laser communications will allow 10 to 100 times more data transmitted back to Earth and open the doors to new discoveries. Additionally, they will require less volume, weight and power, giving more for science instruments, and pose less of a drain on spacecraft power systems.