NASA's LRO Successfully Beams Laser off Indian Moon Lander

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) successfully bounced a laser off India's Vikram moon lander, marking a historic first in space communication. The laser light show took place on Dec. 12, 2023, with the orbiter transmitting laser pulses toward the lander and then registering the light that bounced back. This achievement paves the way for future missions to use retroreflectors, with several NASA retroreflectors set to fly aboard public and private moon landers in the near future.