NASA is inviting the global aerospace community—commercial operators, universities, clubs, and skilled private citizens—to help track the crewed Artemis II mission as it flies to the Moon and back. The voluntary collaboration will test how non-NASA ground stations can contribute to deep space navigation and communications for future missions.
Artemis II is currently targeted for launch by April 2026. The mission will send four astronauts on a roughly 10-day journey around the Moon, a crucial step toward returning humans to the lunar surface and laying the groundwork for Moon to Mars exploration. NASA’s Deep Space Network and Near Space Network will manage all critical communications, but the agency wants to evaluate how commercial and community stations can supplement tracking during a crewed deep space flight.
This effort builds on the success of the uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022, when 10 volunteer partners successfully tracked the Orion spacecraft. For Artemis II, volunteers will again use their own ground antennas to passively receive Orion’s S-band radio signal and collect one-way Doppler tracking measurements. This is a listen-only activity—participants may not transmit to the spacecraft. The resulting data will help NASA gauge performance, coverage, and resiliency as it advances a commercial-first strategy for future missions.
As Kevin Coggins, Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN), explained: “This data will help inform our transition to a commercial-first approach, ultimately strengthening the infrastructure needed to support long-term Moon to Mars objectives.”
Key points for prospective participants:
– Who can participate: Commercial providers, academic institutions, organizations, and qualified private individuals with suitable ground equipment.
– What you’ll do: Passively receive Orion’s S-band downlink and provide one-way Doppler tracking measurements to NASA for analysis.
– No transmissions: This is strictly receive-only; transmitting to the spacecraft is not permitted.
– Cost: Participation is voluntary and at no cost to the U.S. government.
– Deadline: Responses are due by October 27.
– How to apply: Details and submission instructions are available on Sam.gov.
Why it matters:
– Expanding capability: Incorporating commercial tracking can extend coverage, add redundancy, and increase flexibility for deep space operations.
– Validating performance: Data from diverse stations helps NASA assess real-world performance across geographies and equipment types.
– Preparing for the future: Lessons learned on Artemis II will inform how NASA blends government and commercial assets to support sustained exploration.
If you operate a capable ground station and want to contribute to a historic crewed lunar mission, prepare your station for S-band reception and Doppler measurement, review the requirements posted on Sam.gov, and submit your response by October 27. This is a rare chance to support Orion’s journey and help shape the next era of deep space communications.
