STPSat-6 examination
Northrop Grumman personnel examine the U.S. Space Force Space and Missile Systems Centers Space Test Program Satellite 6 (STPSat-6) at its facility in Dulles, Virginia, prior to its shipment to Florida for final launch processing. Seen on the front of the spacecraft is NASA's Laser Communications Relay Demonstration instrument, the first long-duration laser communications mission that will validate advanced relay operations for future missions.
Credits: Northrop Grumman
U.S. media accreditation has opened for an upcoming rocket launch with a NASA payload that aims to enhance communications capabilities for the agencys future missions, including the potential to increase bandwidth 10 to 100 times more than radio frequency systems.
NASAs Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) will fly as a payload on STPSat-6, the primary spacecraft of the third Space Test Program (STP-3) mission for the Department of Defense. STP-3 is scheduled to lift off on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 551 rocket Wednesday, June 23, from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape CanaveralSpaceForce Station in Florida.
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