NASA seeks moon and Mars communications, navigation proposals
July 23 (UPI) -- Planned moon and Mars missions require timely communications and navigation systems, which is prompting NASA officials to request ideas via proposals from U.S. firms.
NASA on July 7 issued a request for proposals for a "high-bandwidth, high-reliability communications infrastructure" between the surfaces of the moon and Mars and respective Earth-based communications centers.
"These partnerships foster important advancements in communications and navigation," said Greg Heckler, deputy program manager for NASA's Space Communications and Navigation program.
"It allows our astronauts, our rovers, our spacecraft - all NASA missions - to expand humanity's exploration of the moon, Mars and beyond," Heckler said.
The communications and navigation infrastructure would support a marketplace for ongoing science, exploration and economic development in space by NASA and private aerospace firms.
More than 100 NASA and private space missions rely on the NASA SCAN program's Near Space and Deep Space networks, according to the space agency.
Such missions support astronauts on the International Space Station, future Artemis moon missions, Earth weather monitoring, lunar exploration and researching the solar system and beyond.
NASA is accepting submissions through 5 p.m. EDT on Aug. 13.
The space agency in December awarded contracts for the Near Space Network to Intuit Machines of Houston; Norway's Kongsberg Satellite Services; SSC Space U.S. Inc. of Horsham, Pa.; and Viasat Inc. of Duluth, Ga.
Such initiatives are intended to enable manned missions to Mars and support a moon-based habitat and lunar surface cargo lander.
NASA also approved contracts with nine companies that paid each between $200,000 and $300,000 to conduct tests in support of future Mars missions.
The tests involve commercial and exploration missions that are part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, which is slated to send missions to Mars over the next two decades.
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