Deep Space Optical Communications from the Psyche Mission

The Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) technology demonstration is a hosted payload on the Psyche Mission spacecraft that launched October 2023. Contacts at a weekly cadence between the flight laser terminal, ground laser transmitter station, and ground laser receiver station are occurring since November 2023 as the Psyche spacecraft moves farther from Earth from 0.05 to 2.5 AU. Several key technologies have been developed and demonstrated during operations with downlink data rates up to 267 Mbps at 0.37 AU to the 5m Hale telescope ground receiver aperture.