I-Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC): i-NASA ihlola iLaser  

Unxibelelwano lwesithuba esinzulu olusekelwe kumaza erediyo lujongene nemida ngenxa ye-bandwidth ephantsi kunye nesidingo esikhulayo samazinga aphezulu okudluliselwa kwedatha. Inkqubo esekelwe kwi-laser okanye kwi-optical inamandla okuphelisa imida yonxibelelwano. I-NASA ivavanye unxibelelwano lwe-laser ngokuchasene nemida emide kwaye ibonise unxibelelwano lwe-bandwidth ephezulu kwindawo enzulu xa yazisa eMhlabeni ividiyo ye-ultra-high-definition nge-laser ukusuka kumgama we-32 yezigidi zeekhilomitha, ukusuka kwi-spacecraft ye-Psyche okwangoku ehamba kwindawo enzulu ukuya kwi-asteroid etyebileyo yesinyithi i-Psyche ekwibhanti ye-asteroid phakathi kweMars neJupiter. Olu yayilubonakaliso lokuqala lonxibelelwano lwe-optical ngaphaya kweNyanga. I-antenna ye-Deep Space Network (DSN) ifumene zombini i-radio frequency kunye ne-near-infrared laser signals.

Unxibelelwano olusesibhakabhakeni esinzulu luqhutywa kakhulu kusetyenziswa amaza omsakazo. Nangona kunjalo, inkqubo esekelwe kumaza omsakazo ayinakuhlangabezana neemfuno zonxibelelwano zangoku nezexesha elizayo zecandelo lesithuba ngenxa yobubanzi obulinganiselweyo kunye nemfuno ekhulayo yamazinga aphezulu okudluliselwa kwedatha.

Kwelinye icala, unxibelelwano olusekelwe kwi-laser okanye kwi-optical lubonelela ngeenzuzo ezininzi ngokubhekiselele kwii-bandwidth ezinkulu, ii-data rate ephezulu kunye nee-terminals ze-SWaP eziphantsi (ubungakanani, ubunzima kunye namandla). Inamandla okuphucula amazinga edatha ngokuphindwe kalishumi ukuya kwi-100 kumandla eenkqubo zerediyo ezintsonkothileyo ezisetyenziswayo ngoku, ngoko ke inokwaphula imida yonxibelelwano. Ngenxa yoko, kubalulekile ukuqhubela phambili unxibelelwano lwe-optical kunxibelelwano oluphezulu olukwaziyo ukuhlangabezana neemfuno zokusasazwa kwedatha phakathi kweeplanethi kwixesha elizayo.

Uvavanyo lweDeep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) luvavanyo lokubonisa ubuchwepheshe obukwisiphekepheke sePsyche esihamba ngesithuba esinzulu ukuya kwi- asteroid etyebileyo yesinyithi iPsyche ekwibhanti ye-asteroid phakathi kweMars neJupiter. NgoDisemba ka-2023, yabonisa unxibelelwano oluphezulu kwindawo enzulu xa yathumela eMhlabeni ividiyo enentsingiselo ephezulu kakhulu nge-laser ukusuka kwi-32 yezigidi zeekhilomitha kwindawo enzulu. Olu yayilulokuqala ukubonakaliswa konxibelelwano olungaphezulu kweNyanga.

I-Deep Space Network (DSN) yinethiwekhi yezixhobo ezikwiindawo ezahlukeneyo zehlabathi ukuze zinxibelelane neenqwelo-moya ezikude ezihlola inkqubo yelanga. I-antenna yovavanyo yale nethiwekhi ifumene zombini imiqondiso yerediyo kunye neyelaser ekhazimlayo evela kwi-Psyche spacecraft kwindawo enzulu. Oku kuthetha ukuba i-antenna ze-DSN ezinxibelelana neenqwelo-moya ngemiqondiso yerediyo zinokufakelwa kwakhona kunxibelelwano lwelaser.

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Iingxelo:  

1. UKarmous S., et al 2022. Unxibelelwano lwe-Optical lungabumba njani ikamva loNxibelelwano lweNdawo eNzulu? Uvavanyo. Ukuprintwa kwangaphambili kwe-arXiv. DOI: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2212.04933 

2. URobinson BS, ngo-2023. Unxibelelwano lwe-Optical kuPhononongo lweSithuba kunye neNzululwazi. INkomfa yoNxibelelwano lweFayibha ngo-2023. 

3. Idemo yeTekhnoloji yeNASA ihambisa ividiyo yokuqala ukusuka kwiNdawo eNzulu ngeLaser. Ithunyelwe nge-18 kuDisemba 2023. Iyafumaneka e https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/tech-demo-missions-program/deep-space-optical-communications-dsoc/nasas-tech-demo-streams-first-video-from-deep-space-via-laser/ 

4. NASA. Iindaba – I-Antenna entsha yoMfuniselo yeNASA ilanda iLaser yesiThuba esiNzulu. Iposwe nge-08 kaFebruwari 2024.Iyafumaneka apha https://www.nasa.gov/technology/space-comms/deep-space-network/nasas-new-experimental-antenna-tracks-deep-space-laser/ 

5. uNxibelelwano lwe-Deep Space Optical (DSOC) https://www.nasa.gov/mission/deep-space-optical-communications-dsoc/ 

6. Mission Psyche. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/psyche/  

7. INethiwekhi yeNdawo enzulu yeNASA (DSN) https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/dsn  

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