This document discusses proposals for establishing a communications and navigation network to support human and robotic exploration of the Moon. It summarizes past ESA studies on using GPS and developing lunar navigation and communication satellites. It then proposes a modular, expandable approach using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies like LTE and the forthcoming 5G standard. This COTS-based lunar network would provide reliable communication and navigation services to support colonization of the Moon and Mars through permanent base stations. It would satisfy requirements for performance, reliability, affordability and sustainability by leveraging commercial technologies and allowing incremental expansion over time.

1. ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use
A COMMUNICATIONS AND PNT
INTEGRATED NETWORK
INFRASTRUCTURE
FOR THE MOON VILLAGE
Pietro Giordano(1), Marco Lisi(1), Andrea Modenini(1),
José A. del Peral-Rosado(2)
(1)European Space Agency - European Space Research Technology Centre (ESTEC)
(2) Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
NAVITEC workshop 2016, ESTEC, 16/12/2016

2. Slide 2
ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use
Summary
• The exploration of Moon and Mars with human and robotic
missions and their colonization, through the establishment of
permanent bases, will require planetary communications and
navigation infrastructures;
• All architectural approaches considered so far by NASA and ESA
can be divided in two main categories:
 Comprehensive, well structured and forward looking (but
costly) architectures, based on constellations of orbiters and
relay satellites
 “ad hoc”, flexible, expandable architectures, based on a fusion
of all available resources and on COTS technologies

3. Slide 3
ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use
Moon Village

4. Slide 4
ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use
Moon Village
“Moon Village is not a single
project, nor a fixed plan with a
defined time table. It’s a vision for
an open architecture and an
international community
initiative.”
From the ESA Ministerial Council 2016 minisite

5. Slide 5
ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use
GNSS Beyond Earth Orbit
• GPS signals effective up to the Earth-Moon 1st Lagrange Point
(L1)
 322,000 km from Earth
 Approximately 4/5 the distance to the Moon
• GPS signals can be tracked to the surface of the Moon, but
usable with advanced GPS receiver technology

6. Slide 6
ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use
Past ESA Activities: PLANCOM (1/2)
• PLANCOM: ESA Feasibility Study for a Reduced Planetary
Navigation & Communication System
• Planetary infrastructure for future robotic and manned missions
on Moon or Mars;
• Communication and navigation network using an integrated
signal to provide in-situ services, such as high-quality video,
audio channels, data network, biomedical data;
• Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) signal
based on the IEEE 802.16 WiMAX standard;
• Navigation capabilities integrated in the waveform, allowing
Time of Arrival (TOA) relative real-time positioning over the
planetary surface;
• Non real-time fine positioning using available orbiters, possibly
using Earth GNSS signals as additional ranging observables.

7. Slide 7
ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use
Past ESA Activities: PLANCOM (2/2)

8. Slide 8
ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use
Past ESA Activities: PLANCOM (2/2)
“In the timeframe considered by
this study it is possible that
WiMAX will have been
replaced by other
technologies offering similar
capabilities.”

9. Slide 9
ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use
Past ESA Activities: Moon-GNSS (1/2)
• MOON-GNSS: ESA Study about Use of Weak-Signals GNSS
Navigation;
• Objective: to assess the feasibility of using weak-signal GNSS
(GPS/Galileo) technology in future lunar missions, to assist
Lunar Transfer Orbit (LTO), Low Lunar Orbit (LLO), Descent and
Landing, and operations at landing site.

10. Slide 10
ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use
Past ESA Activities: Moon-GNSS (2/2)
• EGNSS: Earth GNSS constellations (GPS/Galileo)
• MGNSS: GNSS satellite orbiting around the Moon
• MSB: Moon Surface Beacon

11. Slide 11
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Backhauling to Earth: Moon Orbiter Option

12. Slide 12
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Backhauling to Earth: Optical Link Option

13. Slide 13
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Lunar 5G Network Design Steps

14. Slide 14
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Antenna for Earth GNSS

15. Slide 15
ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use
Moon Navigation & Communications
Infrastructure: Modular, Expandable,
COTS-Based Approach

16. Slide 16
ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use
Moon Navigation & Communications
Infrastructure: Modular, Expandable,
COTS-Based Approach

17. Slide 17
ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use
Moon Navigation & Communications
Infrastructure: Modular, Expandable,
COTS-Based Approach

18. Slide 18
ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use
Conclusion
• The colonization of our solar system, first step of human kind
towards the stars, will need establishing permanent base
stations on Moon and Mars;
• Planetary infrastructures will provide communications and
navigation support to both human and robotic explorers;
• The approach presented relies on the use of COTS components
for communication and navigation on the Moon surface;
• The use of LTE technology, currently deployed on Earth, and of
the forthcoming 5G technology will allow communication and
navigation on the Moon, largely satisfying the requirements for
performance, reliability, affordability and sustainability (being
based on commercial technology and incrementally expandable
over time).

19. ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use
THANK YOU.
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