Mars telecommunications relay services

[Llian Rhydderch]

A critical important piece of infrastructure to support human Mars missions is reliable and robust communications links with Earth.

Well earlier today, NASA put out a "Request For Information" (RFI) for Commercial Mars Telecommunications Relay Services.

Here's the link.

NASA is seeking information regarding potential commercialization options for the provision of Mars telecommunications proximity link services. The focus of the Request For Information (RFI) is to explore new business models for how NASA might sustain Mars relay infrastructure, consisting of orbiters capable of providing standardized telecommunication services for rovers and landers on the martian surface, in the martian atmosphere, or in Mars orbit. NASA will use information gathered through this RFI to inform its future Mars exploration strategies.

Standard disclaimer:  this is for planning purposes only and is not intended to bind the US government to do anything in particular.

But it does look like there might be a customer on the "demand" side for commercial telecomm. 

Enjoy,
  Llian

[Robotbeat]

Sweet. This sounds like it could be a real business. Besides NASA, you also have countries like India, China, Russia, Europe, the Japanese, and probably other entities like private/philanthropic entities (SpaceX, Mars One, etc) who may want such services. Could be a platform for other capabilities like imaging and navigation, if successful. Frees the DSN from the increasingly crowded Mars vicinity. A better business case than asteroid mining, at least. And perhaps the first expansion of commercial services (and thus the economic sphere) to Mars.

Exciting.

[ThereIWas3]

And build in GPS-like services as an aid to surface navigation.  Mars has no magnetic field.

[IslandPlaya]

And develop high bandwidth laser comms like recently tested on the ISS and LADEE to work from Mars distances.

[RonM]

The big money maker in Earth orbit is the communication satellite business. Seems to me to be a great idea to leverage the private sector to setup a communications network around Mars. Of course, if there are enough customers to make it work.

It could also save NASA and other space agencies money by not having to put high bandwidth long range communications on every mission.

[Lar]

I would think there would need to be something that can act as a relay (maybe at a Mars lagrange point) for when the sun interferes with LOS between Earth and Mars... that would be an interesting item to see out to bid.

[Jim]

Still need comm for the transit to and still need DSN for the relay from the relay services

[Lar]

Still need comm for the transit to and still need DSN for the relay from the relay services

Still need comm for the transit to and from   and still need DSN or equivalent for the earth end of the relay

I hope to see the day when DSN is so overloaded with commercial/scientific traffic to and from Mars that there's good money in building a second DSN (like... same function but maybe different tech).  But then, I'm a fan boy.

[IslandPlaya]

Using laser comms the next-gen DSN wouldn't look anything like the current one.
I speculate it would be much smaller and cheaper.

[Robotbeat]

Still need comm for the transit to and still need DSN for the relay from the relay services

not necessarily. Up  to the company. If they felt the business case would justify it, they could put a laser comm relay secondary payload on, say, a GSO bird or a small satellite in a high orbit. I don't know if that's the most cost-effective or feasible option, but a bidder may have some similar or better idea. For instance, Planetary Resources.

[Robotbeat]

Using laser comms the next-gen DSN wouldn't look anything like the current one.
I speculate it would be much smaller and cheaper.

Jim is right that DSN will still probably be needed for stuff like the cruise phase, etc.

[sdsds]

Necroposting here since the thread title is essentially correct for this discussion. The OBBBA includes:

            ``(1) $700,000,000, to be obligated not later than fiscal
        year 2026, for the procurement, using a competitively bid, firm
        fixed-price contract with a United States commercial provider
        (as defined in section 50101(7)), of a high-performance Mars
        telecommunications orbiter--
                    ``(A) that--
                            ``(i) is capable of providing robust,
                        continuous communications for--
                                    ``(I) a Mars sample return mission,
                                as described in section 432(3)(C) of
                                the National Aeronautics and Space
                                Administration Transition Authorization
                                Act of 2017 (51 U.S.C. 20302 note;
                                Public Law 115-10); and
                                    ``(II) future Mars surface,
                                orbital, and human exploration
                                missions;
                            ``(ii) supports autonomous operations,
                        onboard processing, and extended mission
                        duration capabilities; and
                            ``(iii) is selected from among the
                        commercial proposals that--
                                    ``(I) received funding from the
                                Administration in fiscal year 2024 or
                                2025 for commercial design studies for
                                Mars Sample Return; and
                                    ``(II) proposed a separate,
                                independently launched Mars
                                telecommunication orbiter supporting an
                                end-to-end Mars sample return mission;
                                and
                    ``(B) which shall be delivered to the
                Administration not later than December 31, 2028.


It appears that list of eligible companies include:
- Lockheed Martin in Littleton, Colorado: “Lockheed Martin Rapid Mission Design Studies for Mars Sample Return”
- SpaceX in Hawthorne, California: “Enabling Mars Sample Return With Starship”
- Aerojet Rocketdyne in Huntsville, Alabama: “A High-Performance Liquid Mars Ascent Vehicle, Using Highly Reliable and Mature Propulsion Technologies, to Improve Program Affordability and Schedule”
- Blue Origin in Monrovia, California: “Leveraging Artemis for Mars Sample Return”
- Quantum Space, in Rockville, Maryland: “Quantum Anchor Leg Mars Sample Return Study”
- Northrop Grumman in Elkton, Maryland: “High TRL MAV Propulsion Trades and Concept Design for MSR Rapid Mission Design”
- Whittinghill Aerospace in Camarillo, California: “A Rapid Design Study for the MSR Single Stage Mars Ascent Vehicle”

Are there others?

[Robotbeat]

Incredible necropost! As SpaceX is one of the eligible companies, I feel compelled to post the image of Starlink satellites being delivered to Mars orbit (via Starship?) from the Mars update a couple months ago.

[thespacecow]

It appears that list of eligible companies include:

Actually there's a post in the RocketLab section which makes a convincing argument that this is a handout to RL, specifically the clause "(I) received funding from the Administration in fiscal year 2024 or 2025 for commercial design studies for Mars Sample Return; and(II) proposed a separate, independently launched Mars telecommunication orbiter supporting an end-to-end Mars sample return mission" basically blocked all the other companies since as far as we know none of them proposed a "separate, independently launched Mars telecommunication orbiter" in their MSR study.

[StraumliBlight]

SAM.gov: CIS Capability Studies IV: Lunar Trunkline Communication Architectures and Mars End-to-End Communication Service Architectures (NextSTEP-3: Appendix C) [Jul 7]

4.2 Mars End-to-End Communication Service Architectures
NASA seeks advanced industry architecture concepts that establish critical communication relay infrastructure to enable science, exploration, and economic development in the Mars space vicinity and on the Martian surface.

4.2.1 Architecture Requirements
The architecture shall address two main functions: (1) enabling local Mars communication, and (2) transporting data between the Earth and the immediate Mars vicinity. Below are the key architecture requirements. For any requirement that cannot be met by currently available capabilities, selected industry partners will be required to either propose alternative requirements or identify and describe technology maturation strategies during the study period.

[sdsds]

Interesting timeline:
Notice of Intent to propose expected no later than July 21, 2025.
Proposals submitted by August 6, 2025.
Initial source selection anticipated on September 30, 2025.
Period of work anticipated to be 3 months from Kick-Off Meeting to Final Review.

That seems reasonably rapid.

Also notable: NASA has allotted an initial $840,000 to the total cumulative awards under this Appendix C.

[StraumliBlight]

Mars Relay Network — Partners [Sep 2]

The MRN is operated under the Terms of Reference for the International Mars Relay Coordination Working Group (IMRCWG). The IMRCWG is the forum in which cross-agency issues related to the relay network are resolved for existing and near-term Mars spacecraft. The IMRCWG has assembled a Participation Guide to provide context and direction for new space agencies and other organizations that are interested in participating in the MRN by contributing spacecraft and/or other elements that can enhance the ongoing exploration of Mars. All such organizations are invited to review this guide and consider how they may appropriately and meaningfully participate.

Additional material is provided in a separate Technical Support Package to provide more detail and context regarding the architecture and operation of the MRN, from both flight and ground perspectives.

Mars Relay Network Participation Guide
Technical Support Package.

[catdlr]

NASA Mars@NASAMars
·
Sep 2
Dialed in: The Mars Relay Network (MRN) is an international constellation of five spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet that sends precious science data from the rovers back to Earth.

You can track which spacecraft are transmitting in real time at:

 http://science.nasa.gov/mars/mars-relay-network

https://twitter.com/NASAMars/status/1962990877128982696

[AndrewM]

SAM.gov: CIS Capability Studies IV: Lunar Trunkline Communication Architectures and Mars End-to-End Communication Service Architectures (NextSTEP-3: Appendix C) [Jul 7]

4.2 Mars End-to-End Communication Service Architectures
NASA seeks advanced industry architecture concepts that establish critical communication relay infrastructure to enable science, exploration, and economic development in the Mars space vicinity and on the Martian surface.

4.2.1 Architecture Requirements
The architecture shall address two main functions: (1) enabling local Mars communication, and (2) transporting data between the Earth and the immediate Mars vicinity. Below are the key architecture requirements. For any requirement that cannot be met by currently available capabilities, selected industry partners will be required to either propose alternative requirements or identify and describe technology maturation strategies during the study period.

Proposal submission deadline was extended to September 17th and the anticipated award selection was delayed to December 1st. In addition, the funding allocation was increased to $1.7M with a proposal validity period increased to 4 months.

Attached are the 2 sets of Questions & Responses, Rev 2 of Enclosure A, and the Industry day slides.

[TrevorMonty]

Blue had some info on their bid on NG 2 Escapade launch see T -0:26 mark.
Has AI datacentre, can deploy small comms relays, presenters also mention SAR.
With AI datacentre, in theory in could control rovers and drones  in real time.

This is beauty of fixed price contracts and competitive bidding process, NASA may end up getting lot more for their money than what was required in original brief..