Two Greek telescopes are participating in a pioneering NASA experiment

Greece participates in a pioneering space experiment. Her spaceship NASA It will attempt to use optical lasers to achieve communications contact with Earth for the first time, replacing the radio waves used until now. The bridge to Earth to transmit data will be two telescopes from the Peloponnese, in Helmos and Cryoneri.

October 13, 2023, NASA's “Psyche” mission launches to the asteroid “Psyche 16” located between Mars and Dia.

The goal is to study the asteroid because it is unique in its mineral composition and scientists can gather valuable information about conditions in space 4.5 billion years ago during the formation of our planetary system.

This mission will bear a Greek seal, as Mr European Space Agency We chose two of our telescopes to play an important role in communicating with the spacecraft.

As mentioned before Spyros Vasilakosvice president National Observatory in Athens: “We will be called to carry out a mission that will be in the summer of 2025 after an equipment specialist has been placed in the two telescopes of the National Observatory of Athens in Helmos and Kryoneri in Corinth, and we will try to communicate with the new method of communication via optical radiation. We will send a laser from Kryoneri trying to detect this particular spacecraft on A distance of 3 million kilometers and then this spacecraft will detect us and answer us and we will receive the answer at the Helmos Observatory where the Aristarchus Telescope is located.”

After all, our country has proven itself to be a leader in satellite broadband.

Mr. Vasilakos adds: “Two years ago, we took it with us and made an optical link with the largest communications satellite at a distance of 37,000 kilometers. This opened the way for us to make greater efforts to connect over very long distances, and that is why we participate in this very important spirit. If we succeed, which is “What I think we will do is because we are working feverishly in this direction. We have achieved a historic achievement. We will be the first to make this communication across these vast distances.”

Laser-optical broadband technology is expected to be the technology of the near future in communications, not only in space, but also on our planet. This would be a serious development, because it can transmit a huge amount of data, at high speeds and actually reduces the risks of eavesdropping, which is assessed as being of particular importance at a global level.

Reporting: Maria Stathopoulou