Richard Factor Aims to Harness Space Lasers

Sedona resident Richard Factor has dedicated his life to ham radio, successfully contacting nearly every country on Earth except North Korea. Now, he aims for something even more ambitious: communicating with extraterrestrial life. In July, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute installed two LaserSETI stations on his roof to scan for potential laser pulses from beyond our solar system.

“LaserSETI involves a constellation of instruments deployed globally to detect laser signals possibly emitted by advanced civilizations,” said Franck Marchis, Ph.D., the project manager. “If advanced civilizations exist, they may use powerful lasers for communication or spacecraft propulsion. Our goal is to identify if we align with their line of sight.”

Marchis emphasized that lasers emit specific wavelengths, differentiating them from the broader spectrum of starlight. This selectivity could indicate advanced extraterrestrial technologies, thus offering credible evidence of life beyond Earth.

The Sedona installation is the third LaserSETI site, following observatories in California and Hawai‘i. Together, these sites now cover 31.4% of the observable sky, significantly increasing coverage from 18.5%. Future installations are planned for locations including the Caribbean and Europe.

One of the Sedona stations connects to the Robert Ferguson Observatory, providing backup, while the other will soon link to an upcoming facility in Puerto Rico, expected to be operational by late April. Factor is currently addressing a power distribution issue that is affecting the performance of the Sedona system.

Factor’s audio journey began with ham radio as a teenager. He honed his skills in broadcasting at WABC in New York City before transitioning to a defense plant where he learned about digital electronics. In 1970, he co-founded Eventide, a company focused on audio equipment, which has since garnered significant acclaim.

Alongside his business partner Anthony Agnello, Factor earned a 2018 Technical Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for their revolutionary work in sound engineering, including innovations like digital pitch shifting.

His curiosity about potential extraterrestrial communication led him to establish the SETI League, a nonprofit formed in response to the cessation of federal funding for SETI in 1993. However, the organization is now facing challenges, as many founding members have aged or passed away. The SETI League recently announced plans to shut down operations by the end of 2024 due to dwindling resources.

Factor expressed his enthusiasm for the possibility of discovering extraterrestrial life. “It would confirm that we’re not alone in the universe. Establishing communication could unlock myriad insights about our universe and our place within it,” he stated.

For data updates from the Sedona installation, visit laserseti.net/status.