Technology Enterprise and Mission Pathfinder Office (TEMPO)

The Technology Enterprise and Mission Pathfinder Office (TEMPO) manages the innovation pipeline for Goddard’s space communications and navigation enterprise. TEMPO is an incubator for technologies and projects within the Exploration and Space Communications projects division, enabling NASA’s most ambitious science and human exploration missions. TEMPO leads and coordinates mission enabling concept studies, identifies cross-cutting capability gaps, initiates and oversees technology roadmaps, performs technology experiments and evaluations, and applies entrepreneurial methods to deliver results.

Recent examples from TEMPO’s portfolio include: completion of a concept study to establish a communications and navigation service infrastructure at the Moon, and the incubation of several optical communications efforts, including projects that will deliver orders of magnitude improvements in data rates to NASA’s human exploration flagship Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and the International Space Station.

All space missions require communications and navigation services. As a result, the missions and technologies TEMPO fosters have a tremendous impact. They increase performance, reduce cost, and expand what is possible for science and human exploration missions. Some of these technologies are described below.

Traditional space mission operations involve complex, pre-scripted and rigid processes. Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) simplifies many of these tasks and provides operational flexibility by enabling internet-like services to spacecraft, landers, rovers and humans in space. A recent demonstration illustrating how DTN could simplify operations and enable collaboration among researchers in Antarctica and astronauts on the International Space Station attracted the attention of early adopters, including the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission.

Traditional space missions use radio frequency communications, which are limited in their achievable data rates. Optical communications will revolutionize space communications by increasing data rates and navigational precision by orders of magnitude while significantly reducing the size, weight and power requirements for users and network assets.

In addition to bringing new technologies and capabilities to the division, TEMPO plays a significant role in NASA’s goal for commercialization. Often times the agency will develop a module or instrument that they would like industry to adopt and produce. TEMPO helps facilitate this as an essential communicator between NASA and its partners. Commercialization creates uniformity across the aerospace industry and results in less expensive hardware.

Some of the technologies developed by NASA are adapted to more user-friendly needs and are a part of Goddard Space Flight Center’s Tech Transfer program.

TEMPO was created on October 2, 2016 to organize, incubate and infuse mission-enabling communications and navigation technologies and projects. TEMPO ensures that ESC remains at the forefront of space communications and navigation technologies for the next generation of science and exploration.

A number of technologies that began with TEMPO’s management have grown into larger independent efforts.

The Laser-Enhanced Mission Communication Navigation and Operational Services (LEMNOS) Pipeline, thanks in part to TEMPO’s guidance, has expanded into its own project within ESC. Among other efforts, LEMNOS is integral to NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions to the Moon. The project will provide the Orion capsule, which will carry the Artemis astronauts to the moon, with optical communications technology. This technology will offer Orion much higher data rates than previous communications systems, enabling vast amounts of data to be transmitted to Earth more quickly than ever before. In turn, this will enable astronauts to connect with their families and society through 4K video and more.

Another effort to emerge from TEMPO is the Laser Communication Relay Demonstration Low-Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal (ILLUMA-T). ILLUMA-T will be installed aboard the International Space Station to demonstrate optical communications in a human spaceflight mission.

Another effort to emerge from TEMPO is the Laser Communication Relay Demonstration Low-Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal (ILLUMA-T). ILLUMA-T will be installed aboard the International Space Station to demonstrate optical communications in a human spaceflight mission.

ILLUMA-T and the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) will work together to create an end-to-end optical communications system. The space station’s unique environment allows astronauts to conduct research that would not otherwise be possible on Earth. With the increased data rates that optical communications can provide, the station will be able to accommodate new experiments and technology demonstrations that require higher resolution or more detailed data than was previously possible. ILLUMA-T will teach NASA valuable lessons about how best to implement an end-to-end optical communications system on future missions.

ILLUMA-T is expected to be installed on the station in 2021.

LunaNet is a concept for a flexible lunar communications and navigation architecture. With the LunaNet architecture in place, lunar missions under the Artemis program will have network access as robust as Earth. Each link will be a connection to the larger network, allowing data transfer between any LunaNet user.

While LunaNet is still managed by TEMPO, it has recently received NASA internal research and development funding to further mature the concept

Goddard continues to refine LunaNet, a flexible lunar communications and navigation architecture. This architecture will play a key role in NASA's ambitious exploration initiatives under the Artemis program. With the LunaNet architecture in place lunar missions will have network access as robust as Earth. Each link will be a connection to the larger network, allowing data transfer between any LunaNet user. The architecture will be provided by a combination of NASA and others in industry, academia and the international community. This collaborative approach will allow LunaNet to develop in a manner analogous to the development of the internet on Earth.

The LunaNet architecture is based on linked network assets, or nodes, capable of providing a combination of three standard services:

1. Network Services: Data transfer services capable of moving data between nodes and to the end user. These services will incorporate innovations like Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking and optical communications.
2. Positioning, Navigation and Timing: Services for positioning and velocity determination, as well as time synchronization. This includes search and rescue location services for astronauts
3. Science Utilization Services: Services providing situational alerts and science measurements for human and asset safety and protection. These services could increase NASA's return on investment overall and lead to new discoveries.

The LunaNet SEITF at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, employs the diverse expertise of the center in service to NASA's exploration initiatives. Their innovative approaches to networking and communications promise to empower the future of lunar exploration and facilitate NASA's journey to the Moon, Mars and beyond.

Kendall Mauldin
LunaNet Point of Contact
Email: kendall.d.mauldin@nasa.gov

David Israel
ESC Communications Architect
Email: david.j.israel@nasa.gov

NASA chartered the SEITF at Goddard to perform the architecture management, systems engineering, network integration and operations concepts definition for LunaNet. The SEITF's goal is to produce the relevant standards and systems engineering products, and facilitate the collaborations required to foster, extend, build and operate the network services-based LunaNet architecture in an efficient, agile and collaborative manner.

The LunaNet architecture would embrace a unique approach to utilizing NASA science data in service to human exploration. By providing astronauts with more direct access to science data, LunaNet would improve astronaut safety and situational awareness.

If solar weather, the radiation released from the Sun, rises dramatically, as in the case of a solar flare, LunaNet could advise astronauts to seek shelter with unparalleled speed by providing them direct access to data from space weather instruments on satellites connected to the network.

Are you a university student? NASA is soliciting proposals for development projects and demonstration missions that relate to propulsion, power systems and lunar networking technologies like LunaNet! Learn more about this exciting opportunity here: https://tinyurl.com/NASA-20STP-S1

Have questions about collaborating with the LunaNet team at Goddard Space Flight Center? Reach out to:

David Israel
ESC Communications Architect
Email: david.j.israel@nasa.gov

Michael Johnson
Chief Technologist for the Applied
Engineering and Technology Directorate
Email: michael.a.johnson@nasa.gov