A Lunar Communications and Navigation Satellite Concept for the Robotic Lunar Exploration Program

The Robotic Lunar Exploration Program's (RLEP) second mission (RLEP-2) has studied entering a candidate crater near the South Pole of the Moon to search for water ice. The geometry is such that there is no line-of-sight communications to either planned mission elements near the rim of the crater or to Earth. This has motivated the conceptual design of a relay satellite architecture to support the RLEP-2 mission, and potentially follow-on RLEP missions requiring communications and navigation support. The conceptual design presented provides up to 73% coverage of mission elements in the candidate crater, while also providing simultaneous forward and return services to a Lander near the rim. Further, the conceptual design uses flight proven hardware to lower technical and schedule implementation risk.