The Artemis II crew will communicate with Earth using laser technology installed on the Orion capsule that's taking them to the Moon and back.
NASA says the Artemis II Optical Communications System, or O2O, will provide high speed communications between the astronauts and the ground crew, and will give us 4K videos from the Moon.
That means we could be treated to live-streams from the Moon unlike anything we've ever seen before.
Communications
How do you communicate with astronauts at the Moon?
We've all seen the videos and heard the transmissions recorded by the Apollo astronauts as they became the first humans to visit the lunar surface.
Back in the days of Apollo, NASA used traditional S-band radio as the primary means for communicating with its astronauts during their time on the Moon.
S-band was used for beaming back those iconic videos on the lunar surface, for example, capturing such pivotal moments as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's first steps on the Moon.
It's safe to say technology has moved on since the days of Apollo, at least in terms of the filming and broadcasting apparatus available to the new generation of lunar astronauts.
The Artemis II crew will journey around the far side of the Moon, using Nikon digital cameras to capture views of the lunar surface never seen before.
More on Artemis II
Once they leave Earth orbit and begin the onward journey to the Moon, the astronauts will primarily use traditional radio communications to communicate with the ground team via NASA's Deep Space Network.
This array of radio antennas located in California, Spain and Australia will give the Orion capsule an almost continuous connection to Earth.
But perhaps more excitingly, the Artemis II crew will also be using NASA's O2O system to communicate with Ground Control, including beaming back videos of the Moon in 4K.
"At 260 megabits per second, O2O is capable of sending down 4K high-definition video from the Moon," says Steve Horowitz, O2O project manager.
"In addition to video and pictures, O2O will transmit and receive procedures, pictures, flight plans, and be a link between Orion and mission control on Earth."
O2O will send data back to Earth using laser signals to ground stations in in Las Cruces, New Mexico, or Table Mountain, California.
NASA says these locations were chosen for their minimal cloud coverage, because that will play a role in the quality of images and videos received.
Another advantage of laser communications systems like O2O, NASA says is that it can send data to Earth much more efficiently, meaning the ground team can receive more data in a single transmission compared to radio wave systems.
And, says NASA, the laser communication system is less heavy and less bulky, meaning it saves weight and room in the spacecraft, making more room for the crew and for whatever science instruments are being included within the payload.
Communication blackout
There's one caveat to NASA's hi-tech laser communications system during the Artemis II mission: it can't penetrate the Moon.
The Artemis II mission's trajectory will take the crew and their Orion capsule around the far side of the Moon, meaning they'll temporarily lose sight of Earth, and communication with the ground team.
NASA says this planned communications blackout will last about 41 minutes as the spacecraft passes behind the Moon.
But when Orion reemerges from behind the Moon, the Deep Space Network will reacquire Orion’s signal and restore communications with mission control.
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