Laser system developed by MIT powered Artemis II livestreams

The data included never-before-seen views of basins and craters on the far side of the Moon, a crescent Earth setting behind the Moon, a nearly hour-long total solar eclipse, and flashes of light from tiny meteoroids striking the lunar surface.

Lead systems engineer Farzana Khatri, a senior staff member in Lincoln Lab’s Optical and Quantum Communications Group, said the goal was to demonstrate O2O’s operational utility for human spaceflight, extending the high-bandwidth connections that internet users enjoy on Earth to astronauts in deep space. “Participating in this historic mission … and having O2O be useful—I couldn’t have asked for anything more amazing in my career,” she said.