The laser communication was the first successful test of NASA's Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) system. This next-generation comms link sends information by laser light.

It's part of a series of tests NASA is doing to speed up communications in deep space on different missions.

NASA project technologist Abi Biswas said: “Achieving first light is a tremendous achievement. The ground systems successfully detected the deep space laser photons from DSOC. We could also send some data, meaning we could exchange 'bits of light' from and to deep space."