This has been announced by NASA. Through the Artemis Program, the US space agency will establish a long-term presence on the Moon and this growth in lunar activity will require new and stronger communication, navigation and networking capabilities. This is where LunaNet, developed by NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program, comes in.
NASA will launch Artemis I with an Orion spacecraft, unmanned, to the natural satellite in November. It will be just the beginning. Well, the goal is for the Artemis base camp, located at the south pole of the Moon, to also become a stepping stone to Mars and beyond. Hence, with so many moving components, having a reliable communications network would be of great help.
LunaNet has been designed to eliminate interruptions and delays in space communications and data transfer. An internet-like architecture was initially proposed in 2019 in response to the demand for communications and navigation solutions for small satellite towers around the Moon because current space missions rely on pre-programmed connections to space satellites or ground antennas, limiting communications and data transfer.
A permanent solution for the future
Experts came together to develop this concept, and the NASA team is already working to make LunaNet a reality.
Basically, the network should allow both data connections to Earth and navigation on the Moon. The backbone of this “lunar Internet” would be made up of delay / interrupt tolerant networks (DTN). DTN will ensure that data travels through the network and reaches its destination even if it encounters potential disturbances in the signal. That there are no problems with the latency that usually arises when operating at long distances, for example. Astronauts will be able to use LunaNet at many nodes and communicate with crews on and around the lunar surface in the same way that we use Wi-Fi here on Earth.
Thus, all those who are in the vicinity of the satellite, be they spacecraft, astronauts, rovers, landers, base camps or ground control, all of them will be able to determine their location, trace routes, allow autonomous movement and organize returns. fast to base via LunaNet navigation. By connecting the satellites to each other, it will also be possible to communicate with the spaceships that are on the far side of the moon.
Astronauts will also have access to real-time spatial weather data. And this lunar network will also help with search and rescue missions, scientific research and radio astronomical studies. NASA will use LunaNet to conduct sophisticated research on space communications for future missions.
How to do it?
NASA experts suggest installing routers on several 7.3-meter poles connected to habitats, landers, or other large equipment. Unlike a single huge tower, this technique would add more stability and confidence to the lunar Internet network and allow mobile browsers to travel between routers.
“LunaNet is an exciting opportunity for NASA’s communications and navigation team and the wider scientific and exploration community. Together we are perfecting a cutting-edge approach that will meet the needs of lunar missions for decades to come, ”explains Dave Israel, communications architect at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.
The intention is that the Moon is only the first step. In the long term, LunaNet should even extend beyond Mars.
Reference: NASA
