Revolutionizing spacecraft communication with ultra-precise laser ranging and synchronization.
A new laser communication system was tested for spacecrafts to measure distances and synchronize clocks accurately. The system used lasers to send and receive data frames, allowing for precise calculations of range, time, and frequency differences. In a test with a data rate of 2.5 Gbps, the system achieved a ranging accuracy of 5.4 mm, a frequency difference standard deviation of 3.4×10^-13, and a time difference standard deviation of 2.9 ns. These results show that the system can help determine orbits and keep satellite clocks accurate.