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ESDMD #0103: High-bandwidth, High-reliability Surface-to-Surface Communications

Reliable, secure, interoperable voice, video and data links among crew, robots, habitats, infrastructure and rovers on the Moon and Mars (bin 1, rating 5 of 57). The lunar target is cellular (3GPP 4G/5G), Wi-Fi and RF technology giving 25 to 50 Mbps of surface network throughput within 10 km. Neither of today's candidates, Shuttle UHF and ISS Wi-Fi, has been used on the lunar surface. It is named in the Moon Base Users Guide (near-term), for surface-to-surface communications (Tech gaps spreadsheet, ESDMD #0103; Users Guide, pp. 12–13).

Quotations below are from row ESDMD #0103 of the tech gaps spreadsheet unless marked otherwise. ADD Rev C's Appendix D prints the same table for this gap, and it matches the row field for field (ADD Rev C, p. 206).

Description

"Surface communication technologies and systems for Moon and Mars need to provide reliable and secure communication and transmit/receive voice, video, and data through multiple surface assets (e.g., crew, autonomous robotics, habitable systems, fixed infrastructure, relays, and mobility systems) at a high bandwidth, over exploration distances. Solutions must be interoperable for multiple providers and users across NASA, international, and commercial assets. There are several trade studies being pursued for more advanced surface-to-surface communications technologies and systems to meet the exploration objectives and requirements."

Impacts and benefits: "If advancements are not made toward gap closure, there will be a lack of reliable, high-bandwidth lunar and Martian surface communication systems for crew and other surface assets. Additionally, the communication infrastructure will not be robust, sustainable, and capable of scaling to support multiple users, service providers, and assets."

Current state of the art

"Ultra high frequency (UHF) systems from Shuttle that can support audio for a maximum of 5 users over a distance of 1.0 km. WiFi has been demonstrated on the ISS supporting high data rates but is limited to non-critical applications. Neither technology has yet to be enabled on the lunar surface and there are some concerns towards multipath being difficult for UHF space-to-space communication systems that may reduce the useable distance."

Performance target

  • Moon: "Advanced 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) cellular (e.g. 4G, 5G), Wi-Fi, and RF technology that supports video as well as mission critical voice, data, and other applications. Scalable, secure, and interoperable Communications technologies (e.g., rad-hard systems base stations, and user equipment) that provide a surface network throughput of 25 to 50 Mbps within 10 km, which is needed to simultaneously support multiple lunar users with voice, video, navigation, and data transfer services."
  • Mars: "Scalable, secure, and interoperable communications technologies to support multiple Martian users with voice, video, navigation, and data transfer services. Surface network throughput and range may differ from lunar performance due to differences in Martian regolith and atmospheric characteristics."

Child gaps

  • 0103-01: Scalable wireless surface-to-surface communication systems
  • 0103-02: High-rate proximity communications between surface assets
  • 0103-03: Characterization of the lunar surface environment for reliable surface-to-surface communication

Traceability

  • Use cases and functions: UC-C-102 L -- FN-C-107 L; UC-C-102 M -- FN-C-101 M
  • Definition tasks: Moon: ✓LD-103 Surface Communications Strategy. The ✓ is printed in the sheet; the ADD's gap tables say "“✓” indicates completed definition task" (ADD Rev C, p. 204). The decision: "In 2025, the agency adopted a combination of Space-to-Space Communications Systems, WiFi 6, and 3GPP (5G) as the foundational technologies for the agency's lunar surface communication network" (p. 75; Key definition tasks). Mars: Crew Communications Architecture; Minimum Crew Communications Capability; Minimum Sustained Communications Capability

Segments and sub-architectures

Priority

Priority bin 1, overall prioritization rating 5 of 57. The rating is "the gap's location in the prioritized list of gaps", so 1 is the highest priority, and bins group gaps of similar priority, bin 1 highest. Criticality, urgency, breadth and depth set the order; cost is not considered (ADD Rev C, pp. 78, 199; method on the gaps index).

Moon Base relevance

The Users Guide names #0103 for the associated challenge "Surface-to-surface comms": "Deploy communications systems that can operate in the lunar geological, electromagnetic, and radio frequency environment" (Users Guide, pp. 12–13). The guide ties its challenges to "near-term Moon Base development efforts": missions in phase one "offer opportunities to collect data and mature technologies to enable essential phase two and phase three capabilities" (p. 11). See Technology and knowledge challenges.

Same subject in the Ignition material (the pairing is the wiki's; the deck names no gap). The Moon Base Program's Ignition deck plans for Phase 2 a "surface communication system to enable direct communication across lunar surface", which "Enables asset-to-asset communication" with "~10km range", beside "dedicated surface-to-orbital communication stations" (Ignition deck 2, slide 24). The range matches this gap's "within 10 km"; the slide asks for "more throughput" but gives no figure for it. The deck's communications table puts permanent surface "cell towers" and "Simultaneous support for multiple users via integrated surface network terminals" in Phase 2, and "Coordinated communication across all assets in support of Moon Base" and "Scaled network deployment across regions" in Phase 3; the render labels a "Phase 2 Deployable Surface Comm Tower" and "Phase 3 High-Throughput Surface Comms" (Ignition deck 2, slides 50–51). Multiple users at once is this gap's target too ("simultaneously support multiple lunar users"). The deck names no standard, so it doesn't say whether its towers use the 3GPP and Wi-Fi technologies of LD-103.

Same subject in a September 2026 contract (the pairing is the wiki's; the release names no gap). NASA awarded Modulate Space about $38 million to develop "a 5G communications system for use on the lunar surface with built-in Wi-Fi 6", "designed to support future Moon Base surface operations": a "5G Network-in-a-Box" lab demonstration to January 2028, then a "Lunar 5G and Wi-Fi Integrated Surface Network and Flight Demonstration on the Lunar Surface" by 31 December 2028 (5G contract). Its pair of technologies is the one LD-103 adopted in 2025, "WiFi 6, and 3GPP (5G)" (p. 75), and the contract's "Radio Propagation Measurements" are the subject of child gap 0103-03. The release gives no range, data rate or lander, so it can't be read against the 25 to 50 Mbps within 10 km. A student challenge sponsored by the HLS Program Office, for 2027, also asks for "Space-rated wireless networks" and "Surface communications system architecture" for landers and surface operations (lander communications challenge).

Sources

Tech gaps spreadsheet, ESDMD #0103 · ADD Rev C, pp. 75, 78, 199, 204, 206 · Users Guide, pp. 12–13 · C&PNT white paper, pp. 2, 6 · Ignition deck 2, slides 24, 50–51 · 5G contract, Sep 2026 · Lander communications challenge, Sep 2026