Session
Weekday Session 7: Communications
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
Many missions are planned for the lunar environment in the coming decades. Traditionally, all missions would receive telecommands direct-from-Earth and send payload data and telemetry direct-to-Earth. However, missions can benefit from reduced size, weight, power and costs and increased data rates if they forgo space-borne direct-to/from-Earth communications hardware and instead communicate with a nearby cis-lunar data relay orbiter.
Accordingly, SSTL has been working with the European Space Agency under the auspices of the Commercial Lunar Missions Support Services partnership agreement to provide Lunar communications and navigations services. This agreement will see SSTL design, build, test and operate the Lunar Pathfinder spacecraft, a small satellite with a mass of 300 kg that will be placed in an elliptical lunar frozen orbit. Lunar Pathfinder will launch in 2025, and from 2026, provide communications services to lunar missions of all types.
Commercial Data Relay Services in the Cis-Lunar Environment With SSTL’s Lunar Pathfinder
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Many missions are planned for the lunar environment in the coming decades. Traditionally, all missions would receive telecommands direct-from-Earth and send payload data and telemetry direct-to-Earth. However, missions can benefit from reduced size, weight, power and costs and increased data rates if they forgo space-borne direct-to/from-Earth communications hardware and instead communicate with a nearby cis-lunar data relay orbiter.
Accordingly, SSTL has been working with the European Space Agency under the auspices of the Commercial Lunar Missions Support Services partnership agreement to provide Lunar communications and navigations services. This agreement will see SSTL design, build, test and operate the Lunar Pathfinder spacecraft, a small satellite with a mass of 300 kg that will be placed in an elliptical lunar frozen orbit. Lunar Pathfinder will launch in 2025, and from 2026, provide communications services to lunar missions of all types.
