Today’s Moon explorers won’t have the luxury of GPS-like tech for navigation. But JAXA is trying to change that for future lunar visitors.
The space agency tapped Japanese space startup ArkEdge Space for two projects designed to improve navigation on the Moon. These awards build on work the startup is already doing with the Japanese space agency, including designing a constellation of small satellites around the Moon to enable navigation.
MoonQuest: Under the first contract, ArkEdge will conduct a study on adding a Lunar Augmented Navigation Service (LANS) receiver on the pressured crew rover being developed by JAXA to be used during the US-led Artemis program.
Under the study:
- ArkEdge will design the receiver to fit on the rover, and establish a timeline for testing and integration.
- The company will determine the mass, power, and heat-dissipation requirements of the system.
- The startup will also highlight areas where tech will need to improve to support the system.
Signal received: ArkEdge will also develop a receiver to detect signals from Japan’s Lunar Navigation Satellite System demo sat (also built by ArkEdge). The company is also building the demo to be able to receive signals from NASA and ESA sats, ensuring that international interoperability is baked into lunar navigation from the start.
“Both satellites that transmit navigation signals, and receivers that use those signals, are essential to realizing lunar navigation services,” Toshihiro Shibukawa, manager of ArkEdge’s PNT department, said in a statement. “We believe that ArkEdge Space’s involvement in lunar PNT development is significant for the future of human exploration on the Moon.”
ArkEdge did not reveal the value of either award.
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