NASA plans to launch a network of commercial satellites that could become a communications relay system
In their latest reports, NASA officialsare discussing the possibility of working with industry to launch several satellites into orbit around Mars, according to SpaceNews. They can serve as repeaters for other missions, such as mapping the planet's surface. According to them, such satellites can increase the amount of data that will be received by researchers on Earth, and will help update aging scientific vehicles.
One of the proposals is to launch three satellites onequatorial orbits at an altitude of 6 thousand km. These satellites will be equipped with radio communications for communication with other spacecraft in orbit and on the surface of the Earth, as well as for communication with researchers on our planet. The satellites can be equipped with laser inter-satellite communication links, allowing them to communicate with each other.
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NASA does not mark how much it can costconstruction and maintenance of such satellites. “This is an atypical expense for the agency, but we believe this is a really big opportunity for us and for the future of Mars,” said Rick Davis, assistant director of science and research at NASA Science Missions Directorate.
NASA also plans to reclaim some of the costs fromusing new commercial service use models for future communications with surface objects on Mars in the late 2020s and early 2030s. They may include "commercial services inside future ground objects on Mars."
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