NASA Seeks Industry Concepts on Moon, Mars Communications

A Type II solar radio burst on April 23rd, 2024, seen as the gently sloping yellow band drifting from 17:49 to 18:02 UTC in the 15-30 MHz radio frequency-time spectrogram.

Credit: Tom Ashcraft, Lamy, NM

The Moon photographed from the International Space Station, pictured in between exterior International Space Station hardware (Credit: NASA).

NASA is seeking proposals from U.S. companies about innovative Moon and Mars proximity relay communication and navigation capabilities as the agency aims to use private industry satellite communications services for emerging missions.

On July 7, NASA issued a Request for Proposals, soliciting advanced industry concepts to establish high-bandwidth, high-reliability communications infrastructure between the lunar surface and an Earth-based operations control center, along with concepts that establish a critical communications relay on the Martian surface and transfer data between Mars and the Earth.

“These partnerships foster important advancements in communications and navigation,” said Greg Heckler, deputy program manager for capability development within NASA’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) Program. “It allows our astronauts, our rovers, our spacecraft – all NASA missions – to expand humanity’s exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond.”

NASA’s request directly supports the agency’s long-term vision of an interoperable space communication and navigation infrastructure that enables science, exploration, and economic development in space. NASA, as one of many customers, will establish a marketplace that supports cost-effective commercial services involving communication needs on and around the Moon and Mars.

Responses are due by 5 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, Aug. 13.

NASA’s SCaN Program serves as the management office for the agency’s space communications and navigation. More than 100 NASA and non-NASA missions rely on SCaN’s two networks, the Near Space Network and the Deep Space Network, to support astronauts aboard the International Space Station and future Artemis missions, monitor Earth’s weather, support lunar exploration, and uncover the solar system and beyond.

Learn more about NASA’s SCaN Program at: https://www.nasa.gov/scan 

Source: NASA Seeks Industry Concepts on Moon, Mars Communications - NASA