A new optical modem is under development, slated to join NASA’s Orion spacecraft. The modem will be able to transmit high-definition video, potentially delivering footage from places like the moon in near real time.

Virginia-based company LGS Innovations is currently developing the optical modem hardware for the first crewed mission of NASA’s Orion spacecraft—the Exploration Mission-2 (EM-2). Scheduled for 2023, the hardware contribution will help facilitate broadband data communications. The modem will join the ranks of Orion’s advanced optical communications system called Optical to Orion (O2O).

“The Orion optical modem will be central to providing broadband communication services when NASA next sends astronauts to the vicinity of the moon. We are proud to support the agency’s mission and drive the evolution of photonics technology,” says Senior Vice President of Photonics Solutions at LGS Innovations Linda Braun, according to Astrowatch.net.

The modem will be tasked with converting data into an optical signal. When in the general area of the moon, the signal will be beamed to an Earth-based receiver. The modem will handle the return signal as well, converting it back into data for the Orion spacecraft.

“Future exploration missions, both manned and unmanned, will require high bandwidth communication links to ground stations on Earth to support advanced scientific instruments, high definition video, and high-resolution imagery. This is one of three NASA’s optical communications projects that we were selected for to help the space agency meet the ever-increasing requirements for more bandwidth and faster connections,” says Braun, via Astrowatch.net.

The EM-2 consists of a lunar flyby test and a return back to Earth, lasting between eight to 21 days depending on additional analysis. During the mission, a number of Orion’s systems will be checked with crew aboard, verifying proper function and performance needed for future deep-space missions.