Watch a live broadcast from Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Station in Florida, US, where the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration is being launched on Tuesday, 7 December.
The idea of the project is to demonstrate the capabilities of optical communications as an alternative to communication via radio frequencies, which has been used since the beginning of the space exploration era.
Unlike radio frequencies, optical communications offer bandwidth increases of 10 to 100 times more. In addition to that, their smaller size and weight allow for more space to be used for scientific tools.
Follow Sputnik's live feed to find out more.