Implementing Next-Generation Relay Services at Mars in an International Relay Network

Abstract

Nearly all data acquired by vehicles on the surface of Mars is returned to Earth via Mars orbiters—more than 1.7 TB so far. Successful communication between the various spacecraft is achieved via the careful implementation of internationally recognized CCSDS telecommunications protocols and the use of planning and coordination services provided by NASA’s Mars Program Office and the Multimission Ground Systems and Services (MGSS) Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. This modern Mars relay network has evolved since its inception in 2004 with the addition and loss of several missions, but it has fundamentally remained unchanged. Ground interfaces between the various spacecrafts’ mission operation centers on Earth remain largely unique for each participant; each mission maintains its own interfaces with deep-space communications networks (e.g., DSN, ESTRACK), which are similar but still unique; and relay sessions at Mars require careful ground planning, coordination, and implementation. This paper will discuss the existing architecture and consider how several technologies may be applied to the next generation of relay services at Mars. Ultimately, these are expected to lead to the implementation of a delay- and disruption-tolerant network at Mars, a precursor to becoming a major element in an emerging Solar System Internetwork. This chapter, which derives material from a paper the authors delivered at the SpaceOps 2018 conference [1], will discuss several of these pending technologies, which are predicted to be necessary for the next generation of relay activities at Mars.