Adorable Cat Video from Deep Space to Earth Transmit by NASA

NASA’s Psyche Deep Space Optical Communications project sent a 15-second HD cat video to Earth over 19 million kilometers. The playful tabby in the video lightens the momentous achievement.

NASA’s $1.2 Billion Space Mission Uses Cat Video to Showcase Cutting-Edge Communication Technology

While cat videos are popular online, some may wonder why NASA, with a $1.2-billion space mission, would accomplish something that could be done with a smartphone. Showing the next generation of space communications technology is the answer.

NASA uses low-bandwidth radio technologies since the 1960s. NASA is developing laser communication systems with 10–100 times quicker data transfer rates to upgrade space missions. In the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, the Psyche mission contains the Deep Space Optical Communications experiment to test laser communication over long distances.

With 1.3 terabits of data downloaded, the experiment outperformed the Magellan mission to Venus from 1990 to 1994. Since November 14, 2023, the Deep Space Optical Communications experiment has sent data at 62.5–100 Mbps. On December 11, a taped 15-second ultra-high definition cat video showed the system’s maximum bitrate, a highlight.

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NASA’s Deep Space Cat Video

The footage of Taters, a cat, reached Earth in 101 seconds at 267 Mbps using a near-infrared laser transmitted to Caltech’s Palomar Observatory’s Hale Telescope. Mission Control received real-time graphics of laser power, data rate, test card units, and the cat’s heart rate.

JPL’s receiver electronics lead, Ryan Rogalin, was amazed that the deep space signal surpassed most broadband internet connections. This project advances NASA’s communication technology and shows the possibility of more efficient data transmission in future space missions. The cat video from millions of miles away is a humorous yet powerful example of space communication technology.

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