What's Happening?
Solstar Space has been awarded a NASA contract to develop commercial Wi-Fi access points for the Artemis and Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) programs. The contract, valued at $150,000, is part of the Small Business Innovation Research award and will focus on creating preliminary designs for Wi-Fi systems to be used in various lunar missions. Solstar aims to enable Wi-Fi connectivity for human landing systems, lunar rovers, instruments, payloads, sensors, spacesuits, and tablet computers. The company plans to develop commercial products suitable for CLPS missions, which last one lunar day, approximately 14 Earth days. Solstar will also work on radiation-hardened Wi-Fi access points for longer-duration Artemis missions, addressing the challenges posed by the moon's thermal extremes and stringent size, weight, and power constraints.
Why It's Important?
The development of lunar Wi-Fi systems is crucial for enhancing communication capabilities during lunar missions. This advancement will facilitate real-time data flow, navigation, and scientific collaboration between astronauts, robotic systems, and lunar vehicles. By providing robust communication infrastructure, Solstar's initiative supports NASA's technical requirements for Wi-Fi-enabled systems in the Human Landing System, CLPS payloads, and other lunar mission components. The project represents a significant step towards establishing commercial-grade connectivity on the moon, which is essential for future lunar exploration and potential habitation.
What's Next?
Solstar plans to build commercial products based on preliminary designs to fly on CLPS missions as soon as possible. The company will continue developing radiation-hardened Wi-Fi access points for longer-duration Artemis missions. These systems must withstand the moon's harsh conditions and meet NASA's technical requirements for various lunar mission components. Solstar's collaboration with NASA Johnson Space Center, known for pioneering Wi-Fi inside and outside the International Space Station, will be instrumental in achieving these goals.
