NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

The auto‑search feature has been disabled based on user feedback. Enter a search term/phrase and click “Search” to begin.

Back to Results
NASA’s Interest in 3GPP Mobile Telecommunications Protocols for Near Earth Space and the Lunar SurfaceIn the next several years, NASA intends to return astronauts to the Moon through the Artemis Program. Under Artemis, NASA plans to collaborate with commercial and international partners to establish a long-term presence on the Moon. Near-term Artemis missions will be analogous but much more sophisticated versions of the last couple of Apollo missions. For example, the first area expected to be explored by an Artemis mission is near the south pole as opposed to the mid-latitudes visited by the Apollo astronauts, which makes direct communications with Earth more complicated. Lunar infrastructure will eventually be built over time by many organizations, public and private, to support sustained human exploration, science, and industrial activities on the Moon. A robust lunar communications and navigation infrastructure will be essential to realizing this long-term vision. Meanwhile, on Earth, major advances are being made as5G mobile telecommunications rollout across the globe. Furthermore, the 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) is beginning to define future 6G capabilities. NASA envisions a lunar communications and navigation network with capabilities similar to those of communication networks we enjoy here on Earth. Building such a network will require participation by many organizations. NASA’s Tipping Point program seeks industry-developed space technologies that can both foster commercial space capabilities and benefit future NASA missions. This paper provides an overview of NASA’s interest in 3GPPanddescribescurrent work based on 3GPP standards within NASA or funded by NASA, such as Nokia’s upcoming Tipping Point demonstration of 4G/LTE on the lunar surface in early 2023.
Document ID
20220012792
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Bernard L Edwards
(Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, United States)
Raymond Wagner
(Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas, United States)
Wesley Millard
(Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, Maryland, United States)
Michael Zemba
(Glenn Research Center Cleveland, Ohio, United States)
Lena Braatz
(Booz Allen Hamilton (United States) Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States)
Date Acquired
August 18, 2022
Subject Category
Communications and Radar
Report/Patent Number
IAC-22,B2,4,x69388
Meeting Information
Meeting: International Astronomical Conference (IAC) 2022
Location: Paris
Country: FR
Start Date: September 18, 2022
End Date: September 22, 2022
Sponsors: International Astronautical Federation
Funding Number(s)
WBS: 289971.07.04.02.04.01
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
Technical Review
NASA Technical Management
No Preview Available