The Video NASA’s Laser Communications Experiment Streamed From Deep Space

This 15-second ultra-high-definition video featuring a cat named Taters was streamed via laser from deep space by NASA on Dec. 11, 2023. It was part of the technology demonstration known as Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC), which is attached to the Psyche spacecraft traveling to the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Graphics superimposed over the orange tabby cat illustrate several features from the tech demo, such as Psyche’s orbital path and technical information about the laser.

JPL manages DSOC for the Technology Demonstration Missions program within NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and the Space Communications and Navigation program within the agency’s Space Operations Mission Directorate. Arizona State University leads the Psyche mission, which is managed by JPL for NASA.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech