NASA projects the Artemis II Mission patch onto the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 3 before a manned 10-day flight around the moon. File Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo
July 23 (UPI) -- Planned moon and Mars missions require timely communications and navigation systems, which is prompting NASA officials to request ideas via proposals from U.S. firms.
NASA on July 7 issued a request for proposals for a "high-bandwidth, high-reliability communications infrastructure" between the surfaces of the moon and Mars and respective Earth-based communications centers.
"These partnerships foster important advancements in communications and navigation," said Greg Heckler, deputy program manager for NASA's Space Communications and Navigation program.
"It allows our astronauts, our rovers, our spacecraft - all NASA missions - to expand humanity's exploration of the moon, Mars and beyond," Heckler said.
