NASA | LLCD: Proving Laser Communication Possible

On October 18th, 2013 the Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) made history, transmitting data from lunar orbit to Earth at a rate of 622 Mbps. LLCD, flying aboard NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE), is the first NASA mission dedicated to proving high-rate, two-way laser communications is possible. LLCD not only demonstrated a record-breaking download rate but also an error-free data upload rate of 20 Mbps. The laser beam was transmitted the 239,000 miles from the primary ground station at NASA's White Sands Complex in Las Cruces N.M., to the LADEE spacecraft in lunar orbit.