Exploration of planetary surfaces will require a communication architecture that supports operational capabilities in which fixed and mobile assets on the planetary surface can communicate seamlessly and securely to coordinate planetary exploration as well as communicate back to Earth. Communication systems operating on planetary surfaces will also require innovative solutions for analyzing and characterizing the lunar propagation environment. Communications capabilities will need to include bi-directional, multi-point links to provide on-demand, autonomous interconnection between base stations, mobile robotic rovers, mobile humans, and in-space relay stations. Communications could consist of voice, video, data and control. Current available system solutions do not fulfill this need with respect to range, mobility, bandwidth, size, weight, and power. Aeronix understands these issues and believes that the solution lies in the development of wireless devices that employ the radiation tolerant semiconductors and software radios as an underlying architecture feature.
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