Last Updated:
The Marslink proposal, presented at NASA’s Mars Exploration Program meeting, involves SpaceX deploying satellites in Mars’ orbit to establish a communication system for future missions
With the formation of Marslink, not only will communication facilities be faster on the surface of Mars, but communication between Mars and Earth will also improve. (AP File)
Travelers venturing to remote locations often consider themselves fortunate if they find basic amenities such as clean drinking water and food. In contemporary times, internet connectivity has also become an essential requirement.
As humanity sets its sights on sending humans to Mars, providing internet access on the red planet, alongside other fundamental facilities, is also a key consideration.
Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, through his company SpaceX, aims to replicate the amenities available on Earth, specifically internet connectivity via Starlink, on Mars. Just as Starlink provides internet services in America and numerous countries globally, SpaceX has proposed a similar infrastructure for the red planet.
Proposal given to NASA
This internet will provide communication facilities for future missions to the planet. This proposal, named Marslink, was presented at the recent meeting of the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group led by NASA. In this, SpaceX will install SpaceX satellites in Mars’s orbit to deploy a system for data exchange.
This proposal is considered a step towards achieving SpaceX’s ambitious goal of supporting exploration missions on Mars and establishing human settlements. According to Spaceflight News, the Marslink network will work like the Starlink system currently operating on Earth, under which internet facility is being provided to the entire planet by installing satellites in Earth’s orbit.
What will be the work of such a network?
At present, thousands of Starlink satellites have been installed over 102 countries. Musk wants to establish a similar network on Mars. With the formation of Marslink, not only will communication facilities be faster on the surface of Mars, but communication between Mars and Earth will also improve. This will also be very helpful for NASA’s missions to explore and study Mars.
It should be noted that SpaceX was not the only one to submit such a proposal. NASA also considered alternative proposals from companies like Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin. Blue Origin Company gave the idea of Blue Ring Orbital Tug, which can be used for sending data and cloud computing processing in space itself. The report also said this project would be used for the Pentagon-sponsored Dark Sky 1 mission, whose launch date has not been decided.
Deep Space Network just like Earth
Lockheed Martin also proposed that the MAVEN spacecraft, sent in 2013 to study the atmosphere of Mars, be used. Lockheed proposes that Maven will work like NASA’s Deep Space Network built on Earth by taking it to the spacecraft’s communication orbit itself.
NASA’s partnership with the private sector
NASA is now considering business partnerships by giving more emphasis on private-sector projects for Mars exploration missions. The agency wants to partner with companies that can provide the necessary technical resources for future human missions. NASA is also working on laser-based technologies that can provide faster and more efficient communication in deep space.
It is worth noting that, until now, NASA and other private companies have not been able to find solutions to all the challenges in making the long journey to Mars easy and possible for humans. These include a system for bringing humans to Mars quickly and bringing them back, humans being able to stay there for a long time, and oxygen, fuel etc., on Mars. Intensive experiments are going on for all these.
