NASA working on high-speed space 'internet'

NASA is working on a laser communications technology that could become the high-speed 'internet' of the sky by enabling much higher data rates for connections between spacecraft and Earth. The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration will help to understand the best ways to operate laser communications systems.

Laser communications, also known optical communications, encodes data onto a beam of light, which is then transmitted between spacecraft and eventually to Earth terminals.