Artemis Makes Strides Forward in Lunar Communications

On September 17th, 2024, NASA awarded Intuitive Machines a Near Space Network Services contract to design, build, and operate a system of communications relay and navigation satellites in lunar orbit to support Artemis missions. Intuitive Machines is a Houston-based company that sells lunar landing services on its Nova-C and soon Nova-D platforms and is leading a bid for NASA’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) unpressurized crewed rover.

Intuitive Machines’ contract is in support of the Lunar Communications Relay and Navigation Systems (LCRNS) project, managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s Exploration and Space Communications division. LCRNS is charged with organizing and overseeing NASA’s orbital component of the LunaNet initiative, to provide communications and navigation services to the Human Landing System (HLS), LTV, Orion, Pressurized Rover, EVAs, Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) payloads, and other elements. 

LunaNet is envisioned by the Artemis partners as a set of mutually interoperable networks providing communications, navigation, and information to users on and around the moon, similar to how terrestrial cellular networks are independent yet able to seamlessly pass calls, texts, and other data to others due to the use of common standards. LunaNet is intended to be easily scalable to meet the evolving needs of end-users as Artemis, international, and commercial missions grow in frequency and capability. The European Space Agency (ESA) is also contributing to LunaNet through their Moonlight Initiative, which shares many of the same overall goals as LCRNS. ESA’s Lunar Pathfinder demonstrator is due to launch to the moon as part of Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 2 in 2026.

As previously reported by Space Scout, fast communications and precise navigation without geographic restrictions are critical for Artemis and cannot be achieved with only Earth-based ground stations. Line-of-sight back to Earth is a significant restriction on availability of landing opportunities for Artemis III, and as missions go farther and get more complex the difficulties will only compound. LCRNS is a fully integrated element of the Artemis architecture and will build capabilities alongside it. 

Evolution through the Initial Operating Capability to the Enhanced Operating Capability will happen over three stages, or increments: Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie. Increment Alpha will coincide with Artemis III and use its surface mission as a testbed for the network’s initial capabilities. These include basic data transfer, orbital information, ranging, and time transfer during descent, EVAs, and ascent. Increment Bravo will coincide with Artemis IV and add higher data rate uplink, the ability to automatically track users, and greater availability of services. Increment Charlie will coincide with Artemis V and add non-real time, or “store and forward” data relay, the full navigation service (4 simultaneous links, versus 1 in Alpha and 2-3 in Bravo), and initial duration EVA support.

The Enhanced Operating Capability, to be in place by 2030, will add new capabilities and enhance many others. New services will include Lunar Search and Rescue (LunarSAR), data relay between multiple lunar users, and crosslink with other providers. Improvements include whole-moon coverage instead of only the south pole region, guaranteed availability for critical events, full length EVA support (24 hours per crewmember per 7 day period on 14 day missions), Earth-independent routing so messages can go directly to recipients, and jamming resistance.

If Artemis is to meet its scientific and schedule goals, it will need robust and capable communications and navigation services, which LCRNS looks to provide. The selection of Intuitive Machines is a show of faith in a young but rising company and a reinforcement of the CLPS industrial base. While the IM-1 mission was fraught with en route crises, the company successfully landed on the lunar surface and proved they could conduct operations in deep space. Few other companies outside the sphere of major defense prime contractors have any experience in this regime. With LCRNS adding to their growing stock of landing missions and potential LTV program, Intuitive Machines is rapidly positioning themselves as a go-to company for lunar services and cornerstone of whatever lunar economy may develop.

Acronyms

LTV – Lunar Terrain Vehicle

LCRNS – Lunar Communications Relay and Navigation Systems

HLS – Human Landing System

CLPS – Commercial Lunar Payload Services

Edited by Nik Alexander and Beverly Casillas