Category Archives: Lunar Communications

Wednesday / 7 Mar 2018

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Vodafone Germany And Nokia Plan To Create Lunar 4G Communications Network

Vodafone And Nokia Partner With Commercial Space Company PTScientists To Deliver 4G Network, Two Quattro Rovers To Apollo 17 Landing Site In Taurus-Littrow Valley 20.0° N, 31.0° E; Expected Launch On SpaceX Falcon 9 In 2019; Networking Gear Weighing Less Than 1-Kg Will Use 1800 MHz, Anticipated Data Rate 100 Megabits To 1 Gigabit Per Second; Will Send HD Video To Autonomous Landing And Navigation Module, Connecting To Berlin; PTScientists Chief Executive, Robert Böhme, States Off-World Infrastructure Is Crucial First Step For Sustainable Human Interplanetary Exploration And Settlement

Credits: PTScientists, Nokia, Vodafone

New Year Holiday Edition
Friday-Tuesday
23 December 2016 – 3 January 2017

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Russia Remains Lunar Focused, Sets Realistic Timeline For Moon South Pole, Human Missions, Lunar Base

Russia Lunar Exploration Program Planning To Launch South Pole Missions: Luna 25 Lander In 2018-19 To  Boguslavsky Crater To Look For Water, Luna 26 Orbiter In 2020, Luna 27 Lander In 2021, Luna 28 Sample Return Mission In 2023, Luna 29 Lander & Rover In 2025; According To Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, Russia Moon Program 2025-2036 Includes Development Of New Super Heavy Rocket For Cargo Transport, Human Moon Missions Beginning 2030, Russian Academy Of Sciences Lunar Rovers & National Centre For Technology Development Humanoid Robots To Support Lunar Base Build Out 2031

Credits: Roscosmos, YouTube/Rokossovskiy Konstantin, Russia National Center for Technology Development and Basic Robotics, Lavochkin Research and Production Association

Wednesday / 13 July 2016

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Surrey Satellite & Goonhilly Earth Station Team Up For Lunar Pathfinder Mission By 2019-2020

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UK Space Age Heavyweights Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) & Goonhilly Earth Station (GES) Announce Partnership To Provide Low Cost, High Value System To Transport Payloads To Moon Orbit (£0.8-1.5M/kg), Provide Communications Links Back To Earth (Via Mothership X-band Link To 32-meter GHY-6 Dish In Cornwall, UK); Pilot Phase Activity Underway With ESA; Ultimate Aim To Support Solar System Network; SSTL Executive Chairman Sir Martin Sweeting Wants To Help Lunar Explorers Be Able To “Focus On The Science And Business Aspects Of Their Missions”

Credit: SSTL, GES

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 10-13 July 2015

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Cislunar Communication Making Advances

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NASA Successful Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration (LLCD) Paving Way For Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) 2017 Launch As Payload On Space Systems Loral (SSL) Commercial Satellite; LLCD Which Utilizes Laser vs. Radio Frequency (RF) Has Many Benefits Including: Quick Data Transmission 10-100x Faster Than RF, High Bandwidths & Less Mass / Power

Credit: NASA

Thursday / 5 March 2015

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Team Indus Confirms Communications Partner

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Sole India GLXP Team Partners With Tata Communications; Team Indus Will Use Company’s Low-Latency Network For Final Mission Interconnection Between Deep Space & Network Stations, Also Will Handle Communications Between USA-Based Earth Stations & Command Center In India; New Delhi-Based Team Intends To Launch Mission From Sriharikota In 2016, Land 2 Rovers On Moon Surface; Team Indus Is Among Front Runners Of Competition After Winning US$1M Landing Milestone Prize

Image Credit: Team Indus, GLXP, Tata Communications

Friday / 19 September 2014

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OHB Spacecraft 4M To Launch On China Rocket, Fly By Moon 28 October

OHB 4M

Manfred Memorial Moon Mission (4M), Dedicated To OHB Founder Manfred Fuchs, Developed By LuxSpace Of Luxembourg, To Travel 196 Hours To Moon, Fly By Surface 28 Oct 00:28:00 UT At 13,000 Km, Return To Earth; Will Measure Radiation During Flight & Around Moon, Transmit Radio Signals On Amateur Beacon; OHB Planning Moon Missions Including Landing Within Next Few Years; Likely Part Of China Technology Test Orbiter Moon Mission

Image Credit: OHB, LuxSpace

Thursday / 3 July 2014

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ILOA Partnering With Canadensys Aerospace Corp On ILO-1 Flagship Moon Mission

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International Lunar Observatory Association Of Hawai`i Contracts Canadensys Aerospace Corporation To Work On ILO-1 Moon South Pole Multifunctional Lander, Expected To Launch Later This Decade; Canada-Based Company Will Serve As Prime Contractor For ILO-1 Main Observation & Communications Payload; Collaborate On Galaxy Forum Canada 21st Century Education Program At 65th IAC In Toronto; Current Contract Focused On Refining ILO-1 Instrument Design & Program Definition In Light Of Recent International & Commercial Interest In Developing Lunar South Pole

Image Credit: Canadensys Aerospace Corporation, ILOA

Friday / 23 May 2014

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LADEE Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration Performance To Be Detailed

LLCD 2014

New Comprehensive Overview Of LLCD To Be Presented At CLEO 2014 Conference 8-13 June By Team From MIT Lincoln Laboratory (Developer Of Primary Lunar Laser Ground Terminal); Will Describe Techniques To Achieve Error-Free Performance Over ~400,000km Distance / Atmospheric Disturbances; Transmitted Data From Earth To Moon At 19.44 Megabits Per Second – Beat Previous Record By Factor Of 4,800; Significant For Moon & Beyond Missions, Real-Time Communication & 3-D HD Video

Image Credit: NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 14-17 February 2014

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LADEE Sends Back First Lunar Images, Continues Analysis Of Dust Environment

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LADEE Star Tracker Instrument Captures Images Of Northwestern Hemisphere Of Moon (L) While Traveling At 96kpm; US$280-Million Mission Attempting To Answer Long-Standing Mystery Of Pre-Sunrise Glow Above Lunar Horizon Observed By Apollo Moonworkers; LADEE Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration Deemed Great Success By NASA & MIT Engineers; Probe Scheduled To Crash Into Lunar Surface On 21 Apr, Will Analyze Dust Samples Right Until Impact

Image Credit: NASA

Friday / 7 February 2014

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Centennial Challenges Announces 1st
Competition To Lunar Orbit & Beyond

Centennial Challenges 2014

Proposed 2014 Centennial Challenges For USA Teams Would Allow CubeSats To Launch Aboard NASA Flight, Potentially SLS EM-1 Flight Around Moon 17 Dec 2017; Prizes For 2 Challenges Awarded For Successful Ground Demonstration Of Communications & Propulsion Subsystems, Highest Data Volume Transmitted From
> 356,700 km, Transmission From Farthest Distance Beyond Moon, Achieving Lunar Orbit(s); Request For Information Due 31 Mar

Image Credit: NASA, Flexure Engineering