AeroVironment Tech Helps Artemis II Aim Its Laser Link Back To Earth
AeroVironment (AVAV) is supplying precision opto‑mechanical hardware that helps NASA’s Artemis II Orion spacecraft keep its laser communications link locked on Earth as it travels to and around the Moon. The company’s gimbal and pointing assemblies provide the ultra‑fine steering needed so the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System (O2O) can reliably hit ground telescopes with a narrow infrared beam over lunar distances.
Why the hardware matters
Laser communications can transmit far more data than traditional radio, but the trade‑off is tighter pointing tolerances: even a tiny misalignment can break the link. AV’s heritage hardware, proven on prior missions like ILLUMA‑T, acts like a virtual star and high‑precision steering platform, giving Artemis II the stability required to stream high‑bandwidth data from deep space.
Artemis II lasercom milestone
O2O is NASA’s first operational laser communications system on a crewed lunar mission, capable of sending high‑resolution images, video and mission data at rates up to hundreds of megabits per second back to Earth. As Artemis II circles the Moon, the system is expected to beam down more than 100 gigabytes of data, showcasing how optical links can support future long‑duration missions.
Investor perspective and related names
For AVAV investors, the Artemis II win highlights the company’s growing footprint in high‑value space and laser‑comms hardware alongside its core unmanned systems business. The contract also sits within a broader laser‑communications build‑out involving players like CACI (CACI), which is providing laser link and sensing tech for Artemis II, and MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory, whose O2O terminal architecture underpins the mission’s optical payload.
