China Plans Lunar Communication and Navigation Network for Future Moon Missions

Chinese scientists have announced big plans to build a communication and navigation network between Earth and the moon. This network will help make space travel safer and more efficient for China’s lunar missions.

The system will include a group of satellites and ground stations to provide real-time communication, navigation, and monitoring for missions to the moon. Researchers from the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and the Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering are leading this project.

The network, dubbed the “information superhighway,” will consist of 30 satellites and three lunar ground stations. This setup will enable real-time communication and navigation for up to 20 simultaneous users.

Yang Mengfei, chief designer of China’s Chang’e-5 mission, emphasized the strategic importance of this project, noting that cislunar space is becoming a new frontier for human activities. The infrastructure will support various space missions by providing accurate positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services essential for both crewed and robotic missions.

The construction of this infrastructure is pivotal for China’s long-term space exploration goals. The network aims to provide comprehensive services for communication, navigation, and data transmission, ensuring high precision and reliability for lunar missions.

Real-time communication and navigation will be crucial for the success of future lunar explorations and potential colonization efforts. The system is expected to give accurate positioning for any place on the lunar surface once all 21 satellites are in place.

The development of the cislunar infrastructure is planned in three stages. The initial stage focuses on supporting robotic and crewed moon missions with two satellites in elliptical lunar orbits and a control station on the lunar surface, enabling communication with the moon’s south pole region.

The expansion stage will add more satellites to improve data transmission rates and navigation accuracy, while the final stage will complete the network with 30 satellites and three ground stations, achieving advanced data transmission rates and navigation accuracies.

In addition to the communication network, Chinese scientists are planning a satellite-based navigation system around the moon, referred to as Lunar GPS. This system will provide high-precision location services for lunar surface movements, landings, and take-offs.

The navigation system will be developed in three phases, ensuring reliable coverage and high accuracy. This Lunar GPS will be crucial for the success of future lunar missions, helping ensure safe landings, efficient surface operations, and reliable return journeys. International collaboration may also play a crucial role in enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of these lunar exploration efforts.