An orange cat named Taters is featured in the initial video sent via laser from outer space, delighting viewers as he pursues a red laser beam.

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft transmitted a 15-second video from a distance of 19 million miles (30 million kilometers) to Earth. The ultra high-definition video reached Caltech’s Palomar Observatory in under two minutes, with a maximum transmission rate of 267 megabits per second.

The spacecraft departed for a rare metal asteroid in October after the video was uploaded to Psyche’s laser communication experiment. The team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, chose to showcase a 3-year-old employee’s playful cat.

NASA released a video on Dec. 11 that was streamed from Earth. Ryan Rogalin, who worked on the project, stated that despite the long distance, the video was transmitted quicker than typical broadband internet connections on Earth.

NASA aims to enhance communication from distant regions of space, particularly as astronauts prepare for their journey back to the moon with a focus on reaching Mars. The laser demonstration intends to transmit information at speeds up to 100 times faster than the radio systems currently utilized by spacecraft in far-off locations.

Additional test transmissions will occur as Psyche continues on its path towards the primary asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter. However, Taters will no longer be making any further appearances, as confirmed by JPL.

Joby Harris, a design director at JPL’s DesignLab, is extremely proud of his cat’s newfound fame, but he doesn’t want it to make his cat arrogant.

“I am joining in on his celebration, but also reminding him to stay grounded,” Harris mentioned in an email on Tuesday.

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Source: wral.com