Communications and Navigation Needs for the Foundational Exploration Segment

NASA’s Moon to Mars Objectives[1] guide the agency to develop scalable communications and positioning, navigation, and timing (C&PNT) capabilities “to support long-term science, exploration, and industrial needs,” “a continuous human presence, and a robust lunar economy.” NASA’s Moon to Mars Architecture[2]— documented in the agency’s Architecture Definition Document[3] — outlines the agency’s roadmap for realizing these capabilities to support exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

The architecture comprises segments of growing complexity as lunar exploration and user needs evolve.
After the Human Lunar Return segment, where NASA lands astronauts on the Moon for the first time since
the Apollo program, the Foundational Exploration segment expands operational capabilities to meet the
increased user needs of longer mission durations, regional exploration of the lunar South Pole, and Mars-forward demonstrations of exploration systems and capabilities.

The architecture also comprises sub-architectures, tightly coupled groups of systems, services, and
capabilities (e.g., transportation, mobility, habitation). The C&PNT sub-architecture consists of assets,
elements, and service providers that enable data transmission and reception, determination of location
and orientation, and precise time synchronization. C&PNT sub-architecture users comprise exploration
assets utilizing shared C&PNT resources at Earth, in orbit, or on the surface of planetary bodies.

Robust C&PNT capabilities are critical to all aspects of human spaceflight, including ensuring astronaut
safety and maximizing science and exploration data returns. This white paper offers key considerations
for the evolution of the C&PNT sub-architecture as the NASA’s Moon to Mars Architecture progresses
from Human Lunar Return through the Foundational Exploration segment.