When we think of the Internet, we usually picture underwater cables and mobile towers spread across cities. But when one is in space, how does the Internet work? Let us know the answer to this question. Space stations like the International Space Station are not directly connected to the Earth. Instead, the data is sent to a relay satellite, such as NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. These relay satellites then send the signal to the ground station.
Astronauts do not browse the Internet directly from space servers. They use remote desktop technology to control computers located on Earth. High-frequency radio signals are used extensively for space communication. These help in sending voice, video and scientific data to astronauts. However, the bandwidth is much more limited than the broadband available on Earth.
At the moment, laser or optical communication is proving to be a game-changer. Lasers can send data much faster than radio waves. Signals travel much longer distances in space, causing latency. This is especially true for missions far from Earth orbit. To solve this problem, scientists have developed delay/disruption tolerant networking (DTN), often referred to as the “Internet of Space”.
When the connection is lost due to orbital movement or interference, DTN technology stores the data for a period of time. When the link is reconnected, the information is automatically forwarded.
