Tag: Space Communications
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How Do Engineers Monitor the In-Orbit Status of Satellite Equipment Through Telemetry—and Send Telecommands to Control a Satellite?
A satellite may have flown far beyond visual range, yet subsystem engineers can still see on their screens that a particular unit is at 23.6°C, drawing 1.8 A from the bus and operating on its primary channel. They may even be able to determine that a heater has just switched on. It may look as…
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China Launches International Earth-Moon CubeSat Constellation to Support Future Lunar Bases
China has formally launched the International Earth-Moon CubeSat Constellation Big Science Program, which aims to deploy 30 CubeSats across cislunar space in six batches. The preliminary schedule targets the completion of all launches and deployments around 2030. The satellites will conduct space-environment monitoring, gamma-ray burst observations and lunar-resource surveys, generating data intended to support future…
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NASA Adds 34-Meter Goldstone Antenna to Expand Deep Space Network Capacity
NASA’s Deep Space Station 23 began operations on Aug. 3, 2026, at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California, adding a 34-meter antenna to its heavily subscribed Deep Space Network. Its first operational contact tracked the Chandra X-ray Observatory, following a testing campaign from May through July. NASA marked the antenna’s completion with…
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Blue Origin Wins $700 Million NASA Contract for Mars Telecommunications Network (Video)
The Mars Telecommunications Orbiter (MTO) “will provide NASA with a high-speed, low cost” communications relay network, according to Blue Origin. Credit: Blue Origin NASA has selected Blue Origin to develop, launch and operate a dedicated communications orbiter for Mars, awarding the company a firm-fixed-price contract with a maximum potential value of approximately $700 million. Announced…
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AiRanaculus Wins NASA Contract to Advance Lunar Communications Technologies
Networking technology company AiRanaculus has secured a US$5 million contract from NASA to further develop communications technologies designed for future lunar and cislunar missions. The award, announced on 25 June under NASA’s Civilian Commercialization Readiness Pilot Program (CCRPP), will support the advancement of the company’s CLAIRE and INSPiRE platforms over a 24-month development programme. Advancing…