CesiumAstro, a leader in space communications technology, today announced it has been awarded a contract by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center(MSFC) to develop critical navigation technology for future lunar missions. The contract tasks CesiumAstro with delivering advanced radio units compatible with NASA ‘s LunaNet Augmented Forward Signal (AFS) standard to support ground testing of future surface navigation networks. AFS, a special signal system that helps spacecraft find their way around, aims to provide communication and navigation services for missions on and around the Moon, similar to how GPS operates on Earth.
“This contract and technology represent the next step in our support of lunar exploration. Our company’s advanced communication systems are uniquely positioned to tackle the challenges of precise lunar navigation,” said Shey Sabripour, Founder and CEO of CesiumAstro. “By developing AFS-compatible hardware and software, we enable the fielding of critical infrastructure necessary for the success of Artemis missions and beyond.”
Image taken from Twitter Account
Key aspects of the project include:
- Developing hardware capable of transmitting and receiving LunaNet AFS
- Implementing navigation signal generation based on GPS standards
- Enabling high-precision phase measurements for lunar ranging applications
- Ensuring compatibility with S-band frequencies specified for LunaNet
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Leveraging their proven expertise in space communication systems, CesiumAstro expects to deliver the radio units to NASA within one year. The company eagerly anticipates supporting future lunar missions with its LunaNet AFS-compatible hardware, software, and waveforms.
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