NASA has concluded the TeraByte InfraRed Delivery demonstration setting new world records for the fastest satellite downlink from space.
The agency said Wednesday the TBIRD, onboard the Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator-3 spacecraft, used laser communications instead of radio frequency communication systems in transmitting data from space to Earth resulting in record-setting benchmarks.
The project sought to determine the potential of laser communications, which utilize infrared light, in data transmission. Within the two years of the mission, there was a significant increase in data sent through a single communications link.
In 2023, the TBIRD managed to transmit 4.8 terabytes of error-free data at a rate of 200 gigabits per second, eclipsing the old record of 100 Gbps set in June 2022.
The PTD-3 was launched in May 2022 and, once it reached low-Earth orbit, the TBIRD started sending laser communications signals to an optical ground station in Table Mountain, California.
In addition, the mission set the record for the highest accuracy by a NASA CubeSat in “body pointing” without relying on any moving parts or propulsion systems. The PTD-3/TBIRD system also proved its small, lightweight, cost-effective and power-efficient design was suitable for such space missions.
