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LUNAR OPTICAL COMMS NETWORK (LOCK)�ASTE 527: SPACE ARCHITECTURE CONCEPT STUDIO

Donavan Louis Harshfield

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SETTING THE STAGE

Artemis Program and other commercial partners are expanding to the Moon and (eventually) into deep space
Lunar activity and science will generate large amounts of data, DSN already saturated
Demand for high-speed communication from all over the surface from

Surface science
Surveillance
Remote control

Goal: Create infrastructure that facilitates high-speed communication from Lunar surface/orbit to Earth-based ground stations

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https://bit.ly/3CxJRvf

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Mission Architecture

8 satellites in Lunar orbit, global Lunar surface coverage. 8050 km sma, .4 ecc (constant Lunar surface coverage)
Each has transmit/receive capabilities via optical link
Uplink/downlink with units/instruments on Lunar surface w/ traditional RF links
Relay information to Earth-Moon L1, then ground stations on Earth

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2013 to 2021

NASA demonstrates technology for optical communication, closes link from Lunar orbit (2013.) NASA/DoD launch LCRD which acts as optical relay

September 2021

SpaceX begins launching many satellites with “Laser terminals,” facilitating optical comms usage for global internet access

Today - 2024

Early Artemis missions. Artemis 2 O2O: Demonstrating optical communications in human spaceflight

2024-2030

Gateway assembly. Artemis 3 launches. Humans conducting Lunar surface operations

2030+

Optical Communications Networks expanded for interplanetary missions

Timeline

LLCD: Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration

LCRD: Laser Communications Relay Demonstration

DoD: Department of Defense

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Assembly and Launch

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Components provided by Artemis Accords partner nations, commercial partners

SpaceX (Starlink, Starshield), Mynaric, NASA ground terminals

Launched via SLS or ESPA compatible launcher, such as ATLAS V. Likely 1 or 2 launches (each orbital plane)
Upon arrival at Lunar sphere of influence, perform maneuver to disperse and insert into specified orbits

SLS: Space Launch System

ESPA: EELV Secondary Payload Adapter

EELV: Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle

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Performance Estimates

NASA has already demonstrated inter-satellite comms in LEO of > 1 Gbps (LCRD)
NASA’s LLCD achieved ~ 600 Mbps from Lunar orbit to Earth
With rapidly progressing tech, Intra-Lunar speeds of 1 Gbps and Lunar->Earth speeds of 600 Mbps are feasible

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Laser Communications: Empowering More Data Than Ever Before | NASA

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Lunar Surface Comms Network

Lunar telecom/internet infrastructure
Communication/file sharing between astronauts + bases on surface
Can be used for communications between different mission partners

OrbitBeyond, Astrobotic, Sierra Space, etc

Eliminates need for physical fiberoptic cables on surface

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https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20080033045

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Optical Satellite Relay

Allow for communication with Earth, even if Lunar site is not Earth-facing
Satellite located at Earth-Moon Lagrange Point 1 (L1)
Receives data from Lunar-orbiting satellites via optical link
Relay data back to Earth optically

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Credit: The Register

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Telerobotic Control

Scientists can control robots/drones from Lunar orbit, or from Earth’s surface (2.5s latency) or other side of Moon
Video/photos can be transmitted in high-resolution due to higher data-rates
Controls, feedback sent back to user

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Use Case Summary

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Credit: NASA Goddard Space Center

Constant communication with instruments on far side of Moon/non-Earth facing (Lunar telecommunication)
Network relay for non-optical satellites

These typically require a line of sight with Earth ground station

Remote control of instruments on Lunar surface from Earth

While latency is a typical concern, optical relays significantly decrease “lag”
Telerobotic control

High-resolution science data

Surface experiments, surveillance, etc
Due to magnitudes higher data-rates (10-300x)
Higher rates = more science data!

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Merits

High speed connection from anywhere on Lunar surface (Lunar telecom)
Low cost and low power relative to traditional RF
More secure than typical RF links, smaller possibility for interference
Developing/extrapolating a mature technology (near term mission)
Lays groundwork for future deep space communications
Share technology amongst nations under Artemis Accords

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Lunar Lasercom Ground Terminal in New Mexico

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Limitations & Challenges

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Credit: NASA Kennedy Space Center

Satellites require much finer pointing accuracy
During Earth downlink, optical links are much more sensitive to weather phenomena, like clouds
Would still need a typical RF system to communicate with legacy systems
Doesn’t solve Earth-Moon latency
Launcher cost: is there an economical way to get them to Lunar orbit?

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COST ESTIMATES

Generally lower than typical RF links because of size, weight, and power. Assume 180 kg smallsats (ESPA compatibility)
R&D cost estimate: $900 million
ATLAS V launch $125 million x 2 ($250 million)
Mission operations ($16 million per year)

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