Communicating and Navigating with Missions

Communicating and Navigating with Missions
General
Glenn Research Center
Goddard Space Flight Center
Research and Technology Mission Directorate
Space Communications & Navigation Program
Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS)
NASA celebrated the full restoration of its Guam Remote Station with a ribbon-cutting on Sept. 10, closing out more than three years of recovery after Super Typhoon Mawar devastated the site in 2023. Engineers from across the agency completed the final and most complex step of the rebuild on July 1, when they returned the […]
Posted September 16, 2026
Space Communications & Navigation Program
Communicating and Navigating with Missions
Goddard Space Flight Center
Mars
Technology
NASA awarded Blue Origin a contract Tuesday to develop the agency’s Mars Telecommunications Network, a next-generation communications system that will enable reliable, high-bandwidth communications and navigation services for current and future Mars missions.
Posted September 2, 2026
Communicating and Navigating with Missions
Artemis
Commercial Space
Goddard Space Flight Center
Moon Base
Research and Technology Mission Directorate
Space Communications & Navigation Program
NASA delivered the NavCube3-mini payload on July 13 to Intuitive Machines for integration into Altus-1, the company’s first lunar relay satellite, marking an important milestone in the development of future lunar communications and navigation services. The lunar relays are designed to enable communications and navigation for astronauts and rovers o
Posted August 3, 2026
Communicating and Navigating with Missions
Ames Research Center
Earth's Moon
Goddard Space Flight Center
Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business
Small Spacecraft Technology Program
Space Communications Technology
As NASA prepares for a sustained human presence on the Moon, missions will increasingly require spacecraft that can navigate and communicate without a direct connection to Earth. NASA’s Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, or CAPSTONE, validated and advanced these capabilities.
Posted July 6, 2026
Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate
Communicating and Navigating with Missions
Goddard Space Flight Center
Mars
Space Communications & Navigation Program
On Thursday, NASA issued a Request for Proposal (RFP), seeking industry collaboration for the Mars Telecommunications Network. Reliable, high bandwidth communications is necessary to relay science data, high-definition imagery, and critical information during Mars missions.
Posted May 14, 2026
I Am Artemis
Artemis 2
Communicating and Navigating with Missions
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Space Communications & Navigation Program
Listen to this audio excerpt from Kathleen Harmon, the Artemis II Mission Interface Manager for NASA’s Deep Space Network: Captivated by Apollo launches on her television as a child, Kathleen Harmon now plays a key role in NASA’s Artemis program. Harmon serves as the Artemis II mission interface manager for NASA’s Deep Space Network, an […]
Posted May 12, 2026
Artemis 2
Artemis
Communicating and Navigating with Missions
Glenn Research Center
Goddard Space Flight Center
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Space Communications & Navigation Program
Space Communications Technology
Technology Demonstration
Millions of people watched the historic launch of Artemis II and were captivated by the mission’s 10-day journey around the Moon as NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen ventured farther into space than any human before.
Posted April 28, 2026
I Am Artemis
Artemis
Artemis 2
Communicating and Navigating with Missions
Goddard Space Flight Center
Space Communications & Navigation Program
Technology Demonstration
Listen to this audio excerpt from Peter Rossoni, Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System flight manager: As a child, Peter Rossoni watched the Apollo missions launch with his family. In April 2026, he became a part of NASA’s Artemis II mission, helping enable communications as astronauts journeyed around the Moon.
Posted April 24, 2026
I Am Artemis
Artemis 2
Communicating and Navigating with Missions
Goddard Space Flight Center
Space Communications & Navigation Program
Listen to this audio excerpt from Erik Richards, Near Space Network Mission Manager: For Erik Richards, supporting NASA’s first crewed Artemis mission to the Moon and back is the culmination of a career spent helping spacecraft communicate with Earth.  Like many kids who grew up at the height of the Space Shuttle Program, Richards dreamed of spacef
Posted March 27, 2026
Artemis
Artemis 2
Communicating and Navigating with Missions
Goddard Space Flight Center
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Space Communications & Navigation Program
Technology Demonstration
NASA’s Artemis II mission will transport four astronauts around the Moon, bringing the agency one step closer to sending the first astronauts to Mars. Throughout Artemis II, astronaut voice, images, video, and vital mission data must traverse thousands of miles, carried on signals from NASA’s communications systems.
Posted January 28, 2026
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