LunaNet
Developed collaboratively by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), LunaNet is a set of shared standards that will allow government, commercial, and international systems to operate together as one cooperative network supporting missions at the Moon.
Lunar Networking Standards
The LunaNet framework will bring internet-like connectivity to the Moon. LunaNet will use innovative networking techniques, standards, and a framework that can grow over time to expand network capabilities at the Moon. LunaNet will offer missions four services: networking, navigation, detection and information, and radio/optical science. Led by NASA’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) Division, this framework will allow industry, academia, and international partners to build and operate their own LunaNet-compatible satellites, landers, relays, and services alongside the agency.
LunaNet
Building the Network
NASA’s lunar relay project is the first implementation of LunaNet.
NASA’s lunar relays will enable continuous communications even in locations where the Earth is not directly visible from the Moon, such as the lunar South Pole. Relay satellites keep users consistently connected and carry data at higher rates on and around the Moon. In 2024, NASA selected Intuitive Machines to develop the first set of lunar relays, which will be launched in stages. As additional relays join the network, NASA will expand coverage of the lunar South Pole region to further support Artemis missions.
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LunaNet Interoperability Specification (LNIS)
The LunaNet Interoperability Specification (LNIS) defines the standards and interfaces that, when applied by service providers, form a cooperative network supporting missions traveling to, around, and on the Moon.
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Networking
Internet-Like Connectivity at the Moon
Typically, when missions launch into space, their communications down to Earth rely on pre-scheduled links with either a space relay or a ground-based antenna. LunaNet offers a network approach similar to the internet on Earth, where users maintain connections with the larger network and do not need to schedule data transfers in advance. A core technology of LunaNet’s networking services is Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN), which ensures data flows seamlessly through the network and reaches its final destination. If a signal is disrupted between two LunaNet nodes, DTN lets them store data until a connection is available, protecting communications at the Moon.
Navigation
Earth-Independent Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT)
Missions using LunaNet navigation services will have the tools they need for autonomous navigation at the Moon. A key innovation of LunaNet is its shared PNT broadcast, a common signal that allows government, commercial, and international providers to deliver compatible navigation services using the same standards. This shared approach makes navigation more accurate, more resilient, and more consistently available while reducing the infrastructure burden on any single provider. The architecture will provide missions with access to the precise measurements they need to determine their positions in orbit and on the surface.
Detection and Information
Enhancing Situational Awareness and Safety
LunaNet detection and information services provide alerts and other critical information to users. These capabilities help astronauts, rovers, and other assets on the lunar surface stay aware of their surroundings. LunaNet detection and information services will include a lunar search and rescue capability, LunaSAR, which draws on the expertise of NASA’s Search and Rescue office and its experience developing rescue technologies for use on Earth.
Lunar Science
Enabling Research at the Moon
LunaNet science services will collect measurements for researchers on Earth using radio and infrared optical communications. Nodes placed around the Moon will allow regional or global observation, offering scientists access to lunar data over large areas. LunaNet antennas may also be used in applications like radio astronomy, where antennas can look for radio emissions from distant celestial objects.
