NDLI: Evolution of the Lunar Network

Content Provider	IEEE Xplore Digital Library
Author	Gal-Edd, J. Fatig, C.C. Miller, R.
Copyright Year	2008
Description	Author affiliation: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD (Gal-Edd, J.)
Abstract	NASA is planning to upgrade its network infrastructure to support missions for the 21st century. The first step is to increase the data rate provided to science missions to at least the 100 Mbps range. This is under way, using Ka-band 26 GHz, erecting an 18-meter antenna for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the planned upgrade of the Deep Space Network (DSN) 34-meter network to support the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The next step is the support of manned missions to the Moon and beyond. Establishing an outpost with several activities such as rovers, colonization, and observatories, is better achieved by using a network configuration rather than the current method of point-to-point. Another challenge associated with the Moon is communication coverage with the Earth. The Moon's South Pole, targeted for human habitat and exploration, is obscured from Earth view for half of the 28-day lunar cycle and requires the use of lunar relay satellites to provide coverage for the times when there is no direct view of the Earth. The future NASA and Constellation network architecture is described in the Space Communications Architecture Working Group (SCAWG) Report[l]. The Space Communications and Navigation (SCAN) Constellation Integration Project (SCIP) is responsible for coordinating Constellation requirements and has assigned the responsibility for implementing these requirements to the existing NASA communication providers: DSN, Space Network (SN), Ground Network (GN) and the NASA Integrated Services Network (NISN). The SCAWG Report provides a future architecture but does not provide implementation details. The architecture calls for a Netcentric system, using hundreds of 12-meter antennas, a ground antenna array, and a relay network around the Moon. The report did not use cost as a variable in determining the feasibility of this approach. As part of the SCIP Mission Concept Review and the second iteration of the Lunar Architecture Team (LAT), the focus is on cost, as well as communication coverage using operational scenarios. This approach maximizes use of existing assets and adds capability in small increments. This paper addresses architecture decisions such as the Radio Frequency (RF) signal and network (Netcentric) decisions that need to be made and the difficulty of implementing them into the existing Space Network and DSN. It discusses the evolution of the lunar system and describes its components: TDRSS, Earth-based ground stations, Lunar Relay, and surface systems.
Starting Page	1
Ending Page	12
File Size	3104684
Page Count	12
File Format	PDF
ISBN	9781424414871
ISSN	1095323X
DOI	10.1109/AERO.2008.4526325
Language	English
Publisher	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
Publisher Date	2008-03-01
Publisher Place	USA
Access Restriction	Subscribed
Rights Holder	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
Subject Keyword	Moon NASA Earth Relays Radio frequency Reconnaissance Telescopes Observatories South Pole Humans
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Aerospace Engineering Space and Planetary Science

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
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9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in