The payload is riding aboard the Psyche probe, which is headed for an asteroid of the same name. On December 11, when the spacecraft was 19 million miles away, it reached 267 Mbps, which NASA described as 'comparable to broadband internet download speeds.'
The project's goal was to reach 1 Mbps at 140 million miles, but engineers successfully achieved 25 Mbps. The optical communications demonstration indicates potential for improved data transmission in space missions.
"We've learned a great deal about how far we can push the system when we do have clear skies, although storms have interrupted operations at both Table Mountain and Palomar on occasion," said Ryan Rogalin, the project's receiver electronics lead at JPL.
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