Join Student Photonics Research Chapter ANU for an exciting seminar on laser space communications and how the ANU facilitated high speed communications with the Artemis lunar mission.

Our modern way of life is underpinned by access to near-global, high-speed, wireless communications systems. With the advent of high-definition video streaming and exponential increases in global data usage, aging Radio Frequency (RF) communications networks are unable to keep up with demand. To meet this demand, Free Space Optical Communications (FSOC) technologies are being developed, which use near-infrared lasers to deliver information at extremely high speeds. The Australian National University (ANU) has constructed the Quantum Optical Ground Station (QOGS) to further develop and demonstrate the advantages of FSOC technologies.

In April 2026, NASA successfully returned humans to orbit around the Moon for the first time in over fifty years with the Artemis II mission. The ANU supported this mission by providing an optical communications link back to Earth, facilitating the delivery of nearly 40 gigabytes of data. This included high-definition video which was streamed live on the internet. This seminar covers an introduction to FSOC, and the ways in which it can supplement existing RF communications technologies. The capabilities of the QOGS are explored, as well as how Australia's geographically unique properties empower its potential to become a leader in FSOC technologies. These discussions are extended to the ways in which the ANU supported NASA's Artemis II mission, and the exciting cutting-edge technologies needed to achieve a FSOC link between the Earth and the Moon.