Scientists want to build an information superhighway between Earth and the Moon

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. TweakTown may also earn commissions from other affiliate partners at no extra cost to you.

For space travel to become an affordable reliable form of transportation Earth needs to be able to communicate quickly and efficiently with our destinations, which will be at first then Moon and then Mars.

2

Establishing a high-speed data network between Earth and the Moon will enable real-time communication, navigation, and monitoring of missions through sending and receiving audio, images, and video. To achieve this, a team of researchers at the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and the Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering proposed a network comprised of 30 satellites and three lunar ground stations.

This network would enable 20 or more travelers to simultaneously communication with Earth in the aforementioned formats. In addition to the communication abilities, the network would also enable researchers to track objects as small as 3 feet in diameter in the region between Earth and the Moon. The project by China is aiming to be rolled out in three stages.

The first will be a two-satellite, one-ground station setup that will enable communication with up to 10 users. The second stage will add 10 satellites and a second lunar station, which will significantly bump up data transfer rates to 5 gigabytes per second and improve navigation accuracy to 100 meters.

Lastly, will be expanding the fleet of satellites to 30 and finally adding the last lunar base station. Upon completion of the final stage the network will have achieved 10 gigabytes per second data rates and 10 meter navigation accuracy, along with a 50 meter navigation accuracy for Earth to Moon travel.