The Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System (O2O) is an infrared laser payload for NASA’s Artemis II Orion spacecraft.
The Artemis II mission will demonstrate O2O by establishing a high-speed optical link between the moon and Earth.
The system is designed to send data to Earth at 20 to 260 megabits per second and receive at 10 to 20 megabits per second.
Put simply, it is like a high-speed fiber-optic link between the moon and Earth.
The O2O Space Terminal Element (STE) is installed on Orion’s Crew Module Adapter (CMA), the ring that connects the crew module to the European Service Module, analogous to the interface between Apollo’s Command Module (CM) and the attached Service Module (SM).
The Space Terminal Element (STE) includes a four-inch telescope on a two-axis gimbal, the modem module, which modulates and demodulates data for transmission over the laser link, and power-conversion and controller electronics integrated into the Crew Module Adapter (CMA).
Orion’s S-band radio link operates at two to four gigahertz, with about one to two megabits per second downlink from lunar distance for telemetry and data, and uplink for commands.
It also uses the Modular, Agile, Scalable Optical Terminal (MAScOT) inside the Space Terminal Element.
Developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory, MAScOT is a compact laser communications terminal designed for spacecraft, including the Orion spacecraft.
NASA and MIT Lincoln Laboratory describe MAScOT as about the size of a house cat.
Its gimbal keeps the infrared beam locked onto an optical ground station across the Earth-moon span.
The data rate jump comes from moving from radio frequencies to light.
O2O employs a 1,550-nanometer infrared laser, which operates at approximately 193 terahertz. This light-wave frequency provides significantly more usable bandwidth than S-band.
One way to compare links is by daily data returns.
In a NASA comparison for a 10-day Artemis II mission, S-band alone returns about seven gigabytes per day.
That can leave hundreds of gigabytes still stored onboard at landing.
Add one hour per day of optical downlink at 80 megabits per second (Mbps), and the daily data return rises to about 36 gigabytes.
At 260 megabits per second, one hour moves about 117 gigabytes, and two hours clears more than 200 gigabytes.
That changes what can be sent during a mission.
NASA briefings suggest O2O can support 4K video from lunar distance at 260 megabits per second, plus still images, procedures, flight plans, and other files.
Laser beams are more focused than radio beams, allowing signals to travel straight to Earth and arrive stronger.
The spacecraft and ground station need very accurate pointing and tracking.
For waveforms and coding, O2O follows the standards of the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS).
It uses serially concatenated pulse-position modulation (SCPPM) to improve photon efficiency.
O2O employs CCSDS Blue Book standards for optical communications.
In everyday terms, O2O carries a steady stream of internet-style data between the spacecraft and Earth.
Ethernet frames are packaged, encoded, transmitted, and reconstructed on the ground, with higher-layer protocols and addressing unchanged.
To maintain a strong connection, NASA uses at least two ground stations to receive laser signals.
One is at White Sands Complex in New Mexico, and another is at Table Mountain in California. Having more than one site is important because clouds or bad weather can block the laser beam.
By spreading out the stations, NASA reduces the odds that every location will be clouded over at the same time.
Clouds can block the signal, so separated terminals reduce the odds that every site is blocked at once.
This laser system, called O2O, is just one part of the larger network that helps send information between space and Earth.
Radio remains the all-weather workhorse for command and safety, while higher-capacity links handle bulk data.
Orion’s parachutes are packed in the top of the crew capsule, but O2O is mounted lower on the ring that connects the capsule to its service module.
The ring is jettisoned before reentry, so O2O is gone before the parachutes deploy.
Some Minnesota companies are involved in sending Orion around the moon.
Minnetonka-based Stratasys worked with Lockheed Martin to produce more than 100 Orion flight parts using Antero materials.
TE Connectivity in Shakopee provides radiation-hardened connectors for Orion’s deep space systems, and ToolDiscounter in Saint Paul supplies assembly tools for NASA.
PAR Systems in Shoreview is a listed NASA Orion supplier specializing in remote manipulators and robotics.
Honeywell supports Artemis through Lockheed Martin by providing Orion’s guidance, navigation, data handling, and flight software.
Scientifically backed, NASA created O2O using CCSDS optical protocols developed for lunar and deep-space laser communications, building on lessons from earlier optical demonstrations.
Think of it as an Ethernet “pass-through.” Orion hands off regular Ethernet traffic, the laser link carries it across the gap, and the ground side puts those same frames back onto the network.
Orion’s O2O payload is flying to validate higher-rate optical communications beyond Earth orbit.
Plus, it supports NASA’s longer-term work on space networking, including delay-tolerant methods used when links drop in and out.
Today, NASA says the Artemis II spacecraft, named Integrity, should be set to launch no earlier than Friday, Feb. 6, on an approximately 10-day mission.
Rolled out Jan. 17 of this year, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft, a 322-foot-tall integrated stack, left the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and arrived at Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center, FL.
Under NASA’s plan, the Artemis II wet dress rehearsal is set for early February to fuel the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft and run the countdown to just before an actual liftoff.
March and April will be considered if the Friday, Feb. 6 launch date is unattainable.
Pending a “go for launch” after the wet dress rehearsal, Artemis II would be the first crewed trip around the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.
