NASA How do we communicate with spacecraft

NASA How do we communicate with spacecraft? 📡

Since the beginning of space exploration, satellites have beamed data back to Earth by way of radio waves, with a network of ground-based antennas collecting the incoming information. Now we’re exploring laser communications, a technology that will allow us to receive more data from further than ever before.

Producers: Scott Bednar, Jessica Wilde
Editor: James Lucas
Credit: NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is broken down into five Mission Directorates. Aeronautics, Exploration Systems, Science, Space Operations, and Space Technology
Aeronautics
For more than a century, NASA and its predecessor organization has been the global leader in aviation research.

Results achieved by NASA’s aeronautical innovators through the years directly benefits today’s air transportation system, the aviation industry, and the passengers and businesses who rely on those advances in flight every day. As a result, today every U.S. commercial aircraft and U.S. air traffic control tower uses NASA-developed technology to improve efficiency and maintain safety. That’s why we say “NASA is with you when you fly!” Yet there still is so much more to explore, so much more to learn. Scientists, engineers, programmers, test pilots, facilities managers, strategic planners, and people with many other skills are focused on transforming aviation to make it more sustainable and more accessible than ever before