NASA shares cat video from space using lasers

For those who can't have enough cat videos, NASA has something special in store. From a spacecraft that's far beyond the Moon, the agency has streamed a clip of a cat named Tater chasing a laser.

Sticking close to the theme of the video, NASA sent the footage to Earth with a cutting-edge laser communication system. For a clip that reached the agency's computers from about 19 million miles away, it had a relatively low transmission latency.

As NASA says, "The video signal took 101 seconds to reach Earth, sent at the system's maximum bit rate of 267 megabits per second." This transmission rate is speedier than most of the internet connections available in the US.

Regarding the spacecraft, it's called Psyche. NASA launched it back in October of this year to investigate an asteroid. The spacecraft is equipped with DSOC, an experimental optical communication system. It's designed to use near-infrared lasers to transmit data over vast expanses of space.

The video that NASA streamed was uploaded to the Psyche spacecraft before the October launch. On December 11, the craft was successful at sending the video data across 19 million miles to the Palomar Observatory, which is in California, and it was then forwarded to the agency's computers. The clip is attached below for you to check out.

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