Envisioning Cable-Free Space Stations with LiFi Technology

Wireless communication systems can revolutionize space exploration by offering improvements in speed, reliability, and data security. From satellites orbiting the Earth to far-off missions sent to explore distant planets, wireless connections can create a better system for navigation, communication, and real-time data transmission between spacecraft and Earth stations. Presently, scientific researchers and innovators are experimenting with the usage of optical signals in establishing space communication protocols.

Light technology is rapidly changing the face of aerospace communication by offering unprecedented adaptability, and data transmission quality. As innovation continues, what can we expect from the adoption of cable-free solutions in space communication systems? Can the aerospace industry grow to benefit from the evolving field of light-based communication? Read on to discover how optical technology is set to bring about a new era of high-speed space communication!

The Limitations of Wired Communication in Space

While wired communication is a time-tested mode of establishing connectivity in space, it is accompanied by many operational constraints and limitations. These include:

• Added Spacecraft weight

  Most spacecraft have limited payload capacities, and additional load can lead to a significant increase in fuel consumption. Wired communication systems are built using long and heavy cable installations that add weight to the space vehicle. This results in an increase in the cost of launch and higher fuel consumption during flight.

• Complicated maintenance and upgrades

  Wired communication networks are highly vulnerable to damage over time. This is because installed cables are susceptible to wear and tear from mechanical stresses, and temperature fluctuations in a spacecraft. Repairing damaged wiring can be a challenging and cost-heavy operation in space.

• Limited range

  Wired communication systems offer a limited coverage range as their signals experience attenuation or weakening with increasing distance. Special devices such as amplifiers must be installed along cable routes to maintain signal strength over long distances. However, the installation and powering of amplifiers can be challenging for space missions. As a result, wired networks in space can transmit data only until a limited zone of connectivity.

• Increased costs

  The process of designing, building, and upgrading wired communication networks for spacecrafts can be an expensive endeavor. This means that spaceflight companies need to make significant investments in the engineering and manufacturing of such spacecrafts. Even after the building stage is complete, spacecrafts fitted with wired communication systems must undergo rigorous testing and validation to ensure that they can function in remote space.

The Rise of Wireless Communication in Space

Space communication systems are built upon two basic components: a transmitter to encode data into electromagnetic signals, and a receiver that collects this data. NASA uses various bands of electromagnetic frequencies to establish communication with its space missions. Presently, most popular space communication systems rely on radio waves to establish connectivity across spacecraft, multiple launch vehicles, and space missions. However, major R&D endeavors are exploring the possibility of utilizing optical signals for data transmission in space.

Optical communication systems can offer some significant advantages over previously used wired networks. The most important of these is the ability to transfer data at higher speeds and with reduced latency. Communication that uses light frequency signals can transmit information at a faster rate, and this makes them especially useful for establishing real-time connections with space-bound missions. Recently, NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) was launched to explore the benefits of optical communication in space.
The mission explored the capabilities of optical communication in space by using invisible lasers to relay data between transmitters and receivers.

Infrared or invisible light wavelengths allow space missions to carry significantly more data in a single transmission cycle. LCRD and light-based communication systems were born out of the need to enhance data transmission to and from space. Besides this, laser communication systems have also proven to enable more precise navigation capabilities in space. This means that laser links can improve the timing and location data of GPS, and other space missions. Due to these benefits, optical communication systems can provide a major upgrade from reliance on radio-frequency-based networks in space.

Wireless Technologies at Work: From Space Stations to Rovers

The use of wireless technologies can greatly impact the future of space exploration. Inspired by the wireless connections utilized by our mobiles, or laptops on earth; scientists are now innovating a new generation of networked space hardware. The ESA has explored the possibility of establishing ‘plug and play’ wireless connections to transfer data and commands between multiple spacecraft.

Modern space missions are now experimenting with the possibility of using optical links between satellites and earth bases for establishing efficient communication. Light signals in the infrared and invisible spectrum have shown to be more effective than radio waves in transmitting higher volumes of data across space networks. When compared with traditionally used wired connections, wireless networks can enhance the connectivity between space stations and rovers. This is because light signals are highly immune to interference from other electromagnetic frequencies, allowing them to offer stable data transmission across space.

Equipping satellites and space rovers with wireless networks saves them from carrying the weight of bulky wired connections. Wired communication is impossible without the installation of heavy cables and connector machinery. But wireless communication is built upon lighter equipment fittings that help in reducing carrier weight, and lead to decreased fuel consumption for spacecraft.

The Future of Space Exploration with Wireless Communication

Most space missions of the past have successfully used radio frequency signals to send and receive information. However, as VLC systems and optical networks gain traction among technological innovators, wireless communication devices using light-frequency signals are set to transform the future of space exploration. Nascent research into the application of light waves for space communication has already proven that optical signals allow for larger data returns across a connection in space.

Advanced wireless communication systems can improve the cost and time efficiency of aircraft manufacturing. Compared to wired connections, wireless networks are far simpler to install and deploy across space missions. They are also more scalable as it is easier to install additional transmitters or antennas rather than altering existing infrastructure to add extensive cables and wired hardware. The accompanying weight reduction from the elimination of large wired networks also lowers launch costs while improving mission flexibility. For example, NASA’s Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration showed how a small 0.5-watt laser beam could be utilized to achieve high-speed communication in small satellites.

Moreover, light-based wireless communication enables better real-time monitoring and control of space vehicles by improving the data transmission rates across their networks. Laser frequency signals have been shown to provide enhanced navigation capabilities in space satellites by reducing power consumption while still transmitting highly data-intensive information. NASA’s High-Rate Delay Tolerant Networking project is a step towards stabilizing the transmission of high-speed data using laser signals in space. As new technology develops to integrate non-wired communication into space missions, we can expect higher quality and intensity of space exploration in the coming future.

Oledcomm offers LiFi solutions for Communication in Space

LiFi technology can provide space missions with a bidirectional wireless communication network that trumps previously used radio waves and cables in terms of speed, stability, and security. LiFi communication systems can enhance space vehicle designs by making them more sustainable and lightweight, while also offering larger data transmission rates. Oledcomm has showcased its ability to create successful LiFi networks in space technology by launching its SatelLiFe module. This LiFi module was implemented jointly by Oledcomm and Latmos for data transmission using visible light waves in space. It has been installed in INSPIRE-SAT 7, which is a nanosatellite dedicated to earth and solar observation. In May 2023, a Oneweb Satellite by SpaceX called the Joey Sat was also successfully fitted with the SatelLife system.

As wireless communication systems become an integral part of communication in space, Oledcomm is set to build customized solutions for equipping space missions with light-based connections. If you are interested in exploring how LiFi technology can transform the space communications process, visit Oledcomm now!