AeroVironment Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) announced that its precision pointing hardware was part of NASA's Artemis II mission as a component of the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System (O2O), a laser communications terminal developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory in collaboration with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

During the mission, O2O used lasers to transmit high-resolution video and images of the lunar surface to Earth. AeroVironment's laser gimbal enabled the spacecraft to precisely point the laser at terrestrial receivers, providing high-speed data links between astronauts in lunar orbit and ground stations. NASA Flight Director Rick Henfling told the New York Times that the technology enabled data transfer at speeds "orders of magnitude more than we get via our S-band telemetry system."

AeroVironment delivered a two-axis gimbal and launch latch assembly that provided coarse pointing of the laser communications beam toward ground stations as the spacecraft changed orientation during its mission. The O2O laser communications terminal was delivered to NASA in 2023 to support the Artemis II mission.

The company also supplied fast steering mirrors that provide jitter stabilization and fine pointing adjustments to compensate for small motions aboard the spacecraft caused by equipment operation, crew movement and environmental disturbances during flight.

"Contributing to the Artemis II mission is an honor for our team," said Wahid Nawabi, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer at AeroVironment. "Our role is focused but critical: making sure the laser communications beam is precisely pointed back to Earth so that astronauts can send large volumes of data quickly and reliably."

The components enable payload pointing with accuracy on the order of a single micro-radian, which the company describes as roughly equivalent to hitting a one millimeter target from one kilometer away. AeroVironment states it has delivered over 150 subsystems across critical mission areas, including laser communications, for various customers.