From the ISS will try to conduct data transmission to Earth using lasers

In science fiction earlier they often wrote about data transmission in space using lasers. This method of data transmission has long ceased to be fiction, and soon (in the coming months) with the ISS will try to transfer a certain amount of information to Earth in this way.

The data transfer facility is called OPALS (Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science)
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In theory, data transmission using lasers from orbit to Earth does not pose a particular problem. In practice, things may turn out differently, since the atmosphere can be a serious obstacle to “clean” transmission. Nevertheless, experts hope for a successful test. If everything goes well, later on it will be possible to transfer large data arrays with a laser.

Now the bandwidth of the ISS-Earth channel is 200-400 Kbps. The laser will significantly increase the channel capacity, up to 50 Mbps. One of the project engineers compared this update with a dial-up upgrade on DSL.

Now the equipment is still on Earth, and yesterday's launch of SpaceX, by which it was planned to transfer the equipment to the ISS, failed. So the sooner this launch takes place, the faster the data transfer described above will be. They plan to transmit videos, several clips of 100 seconds each.

Via JPL