Category Archives: Lunar Communications

Tuesday / 11 Aug 2020

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Lunar Laser Ranging  (LLR) Techniques Advance With First 2-Way Infrared Signals Between NASA LRO + Grasse Station

Goddard Space Flight Center And University Côte d’Azur Collaboration Results In First Infrared Photons (~200 Out Of Tens Of Thousands) Received Back From LRO Reflector (15 × 18 × 5 cm, Traveling ~1.6 km Per Second); LRO Array And Other LLR Important For Understanding Lunar Dust / Degradation Of Apollo & Lunokhod Surface Reflectors, Refining Lunar Distance & Orientation, ‘With Implications For Both Lunar Interior Properties And For Astrophysics And Fundamental Physics’; New LLR Opportunities To Come From Future Commercial And Human Moon Landings

Pictured: Researchers from this collaboration; Credits: GSFC, NASA, Université Côte d’Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, IRD, Géoazur, CNRS-INSU, CNES, ANR, MIT EAPS, et al

Tuesday / 21 April 2020

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American Astronautical Society Hosts Streaming Thought Exchange On Lunar Habitation Realities

NASA Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative Lead (L-R) Niki Werkheiser Will Moderate Interactive Panel Envisioning ‘Technology For Sustainable Moon Operations’ Including Planetary Scientists Clive Neal Of Notre Dame And Rachel Klima Of Johns Hopkins; Moon-based Life Support, Social Organization, Infrastructure To Be Explored In Depth; Part Of Ongoing Hangout Series ‘Future In Space’, Online Participation Is Free And Open To Public, Opportunities For Question Submission To Expert Panel; Event Begins Thursday, 23 April At 15:00 EDT Accessible Via Youtube, Periscope, FaceBook And Twitch

Credits: AAS, NASA, JPL, JHUAPL

Friday / 17 April 2020

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Cislunar Navigation And Reconnaissance Technologies Advanced By USAF Contract Awards

Xplore Of Seattle WA Granted US$50k Via AFWERX To Draft Situational Positioning Technology Concepts Similar To Terrestrial GPS, In Press Release Founder Lisa Rich Says Xplore Will “Rapidly Advance Space Domain Awareness Now That Cislunar Space Operations Is A Focal Point”; Rhea Space Activity Of Washington DC And Saber Astronautics Of Sydney, AUS / Boulder CO Also To Receive $50k For Earth-Based Data Gathering Interface “Space Cockpit” With Remote Controls; Establishment Of Cislunar Infrastructure To Benefit National / Civilian Space Agencies And Commercial / Independent Enterprise

Credits: Xplore, Rhea, Advanced Space, CAPS, KUNC, NASA

Friday / 20 March 2020

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Global Positioning System Satellites To Aid Artemis Lunar Missions 

NASA Intends To Use Signals From 24+ Operational GPS Satellites In 20,000-Km Earth Orbit With Receivers On Moon; GSFC Developing Lunar GPS Receiver Based Upon NavCube System Being Tested On ISS; JPL Scientists Kar-Ming Cheung (L) And Charles Lee (R) Estimate That GPS Allows Lunar Navigation With 200-300 Meter Accuracy; Navigation Could Be Improved With Small Relay Satellite In High Lunar Orbit

Credits: NASA, JPL

Friday / 13 March 2020

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University Teams Building SmallSat Demonstrations For Artemis 

NASA Small Spacecraft Technology Program Selects Nine University Teams For Small (<180 Kg) Satellite Demonstrations Supporting Artemis; Universities Will Receive Up To US$200K For Lunar Projects; Arizona State University Tempe Will Test Deployable Optical Receiver Aperture; University Of Colorado Boulder Will Build SmallSat Lunar Communications System In Collaboration With JPL; University Of California Irvine And University Of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Will Both Test Electrospray Thrusters; Future SmallSats Could Provide Communications And Navigation For The Moon

Credits: NASA

Tuesday / 10 March 2020

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Artemis Student Challenge Awards University Teams For Cosmic Crops And Lunar Communication Laser Development

NASA Awards Nearly US$1M To Eight University Teams; University Of Arizona Colleges Of Engineering, Agriculture And Life Sciences, Team Led By Murat Kacira, Receives $84,333 To Develop Improved Water And Nutrient System For Growing Cosmic Crops In Microgravity (L); Colorado School Of Mines, In Cooperation With University Of Arizona, Receives $114K To Test Laser For Communicating With Tiny ‘FemtoSat’ Spacecraft, Shown By Jekan Thanga (R), Launched Across Moon; Laser Communication System May Be Used For Exploring Permanently Shadowed Regions Of Lunar South Pole

Credits: University of Arizona

Friday / 7 February 2020

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SSTL Lunar Pathfinder Data Relay To Provide Communication With South Polar Region By 2022

UK Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) Building Lunar Pathfinder Data-Relay; 280-Kg Spacecraft Is Intended To Provide Affordable Communications With S-Band And UHF Links To Missions On Surface, And X-Band Link To Earth; Will Enable Lunar Polar And Farside Missions With An Alternative To Earth-Based Deep Space Networks; Planned For Launch In 2022, Lunar Pathfinder Will Operate In Elliptical Orbit For Long-Duration Line-Of-Sight Visibility Of South Polar Region And Aitken Basin; Sue Horne Of UK Space Agency Talks Of Communicating From Lunar Orbit To Surface

Credits: NASA, SSTL

Tuesday / 23 July 2019

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Purdue Engineering Initiative In Cislunar Space Launching 50 Years After Apollo 11

New Program Intended To Spur Economic Development In Space Around Earth And Moon; Initiative Will Focus On Infrastructure, Communication, Policy And Educational Requirements Of Commercial And Public Cislunar Space Activities; Purdue University Is Known As The “Cradle Of Astronauts”, Alma Mater To 25 Spacefarers Including First Moon Explorer Neil Armstrong; Engineering Dean Mung Chiang (C) Says Initiative Will “Contribute To Critical Dimensions Of The Next 50 Years Of Small Steps And Giant Leaps In Space”

Also Pictured: Program Chair Dan Dumbacher (R), Co-chair David Spencer(L); Credits: NASA, Purdue

Friday / 25 Jan 2019

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Europe Funds Studies On Lunar Mining, Astronaut EVAs, Lunar Gravity Effects

ESA Signs 1-Year Lunar Regolith Feasibility Study Contract With Arianespace To Launch “Ariane 64” Vehicle With PTScientists Lunar Lander By 2025 To Search For Oxygen, Water, Helium-3 To Produce Fuel; Pangaea-X Test Campaign In Lanzarote Spain Advancing Lunar EVA Simulations, Communications, Tools, Science Protocols; ESA-DLR-NASA Collaborate On Moon 1/6th Gravity Study To Understand Physiological Impact Of Living, Working On Moon

Credits: ESA, PTScientists, Ariane Group

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 27-30 July 2018

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Chang’e-4 Far Side Moon Lander On Track For Dec Launch; Beijing Big Moon Expo Continues

China Long March 3B Set To Launch Chang’e-4 Lander & Rover Dec 2018 To Lunar Far Side South Pole Aitken Basin; Lander To Carry High-Res Cameras, Low Frequency Spectrometer, “Lunar Lander Neutrons & Dosimetry”; Rover Equipped With Panoramic Camera, Lunar Penetrating Radar, Visible / Infrared Spectrometer, “Advanced Small Analyser For Neutrals”; Queqiao Relay Satellite At L2 Orbit; Longjiang-2 Operates In Elliptical Lunar Orbit Transmitting Images From Moon; Lunar Exploration Technology Exhibition Featuring 10-meter Moon Continues To 9 Oct At Beijing National Aquatic Center “Water Cube”

Credits: CNSA, CASC, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing National Aquatic Center, NASA