4 hours ago - Aerospace

Artemis II mission includes MIT-developed technology

Steph Solis

NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft rest on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 31, 2026. — NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft rest on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

The aircraft behind the Artemis II mission around the Moon will carry a piece of Massachusetts as it lifts off Wednesday night.

The intrigue: NASA's first piloted flight to the Moon in 53 years will include technology developed in the MIT Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Axios Boston's partner CBS Boston reported.

State of play: The Orion spacecraft includes an optical communication system that can produce 4K video in space during the roughly 10-day flight.

The system delivers more data with less power, says Jade Wang, assistant group leader of optical and quantum communications at MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

What they're saying: "The way I eventually described it to my friends was I was working to make communications in space more like, bring the internet so astronauts could view cat videos, for instance, and to have the experience in space that they currently enjoy at home," Wang told CBS Boston.

What we're watching: Researchers said the system will play a role in the future of deep space exploration.

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Artemis II mission includes MIT-developed technology

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