Telecommunications for Mars Rovers and Robotic Missions

The Mars exploration program of NASA and the international community will evolve from an early emphasis on orbital remote sensing toward in-situ science activity on, or just above, the Martian surface. Recent efforts are also investigating the integration of robotic missions with future human exploration missions. Key surface science objectives, including life science, will require mobility, thus dictating an increasing role for planetary rovers. Telecommunications will play an enabling role in achieving the objectives of these rovers as well as other surface elements. End-to-end telecommunications may be accomplished by direct links from the Martian surface to antennas of the Deep Space Network (DSN) on Earth or by means of relay links provided by spacecraft in Mars orbit. Power and mass constraints on landed elements at Mars strongly favor the use of relay communications. This paper reviews current plans for Mars missions through the 2005 launch opportunity, and examines their capabilities to support rovers and other landed elements via relay communications. The review provides Mars rover and lander designers with information useful in developing communications subsystems for incorporation into their overall systems designs