NASA has unveiled an aerospace communications facility dedicated to the research and development of advanced radio frequency and optical communication technology.
The agency on Wednesday held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Multiple Asset Testbed for Research and Innovative Communications Systems, which is located at the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.
The 54,000-square-foot facility, also known as MATRICS, features 25 research laboratories, rooftop and ground-based antenna fields and a radio frequency-shielded high-bay space.
MATRICS consolidates the workspace of 80 researchers previously scattered across the Glenn Research Center campus. They are expected to advance studies that apply artificial intelligence and machine learning to future low Earth orbit and deep space networks.
The site will also be home to a new quantum metrology laboratory, which will focus on the use of photons and quantum physics to transmit and protect data.
