A review of lunar communications and antennas: assessing performance in the context of propagation and radiation

YesOver the previous two decades, a notable array of space exploration missions have been initiated with the primary aim of facilitating the return of both humans and robots from Earth to the moon. The significance of these endeavors cannot be emphasized enough as numerous entities, both public and private, from across the globe have invested substantial resources into this pursuit. Researchers have committed their efforts to addressing the challenges linked to lunar communication. Even with all of these efforts, only a few of the many suggested designs for communication and antennas on the moon have been evaluated and compared. These designs have also not been shared with the scientific community. To bridge this gap in the existing body of knowledge, this paper conducts a thorough review of lunar surface communication and the diverse antenna designs employed in lunar communication systems. This paper provides a summary of the findings presented in lunar surface communication research while also outlining the assorted challenges that impact lunar communication. Apart from various antenna designs reported in this field, based on their intended usage, two additional classifications are introduced: (a) mission-based antennas-utilized in actual lunar missions-and (b) research-based antennas-employed solely for research purposes. Given the critical need to comprehend and predict lunar conditions and antenna behaviors within those conditions, this review holds immense significance. Its relevance is particularly pronounced in light of the numerous upcoming lunar missions that have been announced.This work is part of the “Performance Evaluation of Lunar Rashid Rover Communication System” research project, supported by the University of Dubai

Candidate Landing Sites for the Emirates Lunar Mission (ELM) Rashid-1 Rover

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Investigation of the Regolith Thickness and Boulder Density at the Four Candidate Landing Sites of the Emirates Lunar Mission Rashid-1 Rover

International audienceThe lunar surface undergoes various space weathering and impact processes, which shape the regolith and expose boulders. Using high-resolution Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Narrow Angle Camera imagery and associated Digital Elevation Models, we investigate regolith thicknesses and boulder densities at the four candidate landing sites of the Emirates Lunar Mission Rashid-1 rover: the floor-fractured crater Atlas and the Sinus Iridum, Oceanus Procellarum and Lacus Somniorum maria.The regolith thickness is estimated using the small crater morphology method, by mapping 3,413 central mound, flat-bottomed, concentric craters (&lt; 350 m in diameter). Boulders were counted manually and compared with LRO Diviner rock abundance and mini-RF Circular Polarisation Ratio global maps.There is no obvious correlation between the site's age, average regolith thickness and boulder density.The "Depth-Age hypothesis" is not confirmed here: Atlas (3.8 Gyr) has the thinnest regolith (median:1.2 m), Procellarum (1.9 Gyr) and Somniorum (3.7 Gyr) have similar thicknesses (1.7 m and 1.8 m respectively), and the regolith in Iridum (3.4 Gyr) is the thickest (2.9 m). The estimated regolith p. 2 thickness is highly variable laterally within the landing ellipses. Boulder fields in the landing areas are well-correlated with higher Diviner rock abundance values, and with locally thicker patches of regolith.The relatively thin regolith in Atlas could be related to its complex geology involving multiple volcanic episodes. Orbital estimates of regolith thickness and boulder distribution remain key for landing safety and trafficability assessments during mission preparations, and bring key insights into the local history of the regolith through crater morphologies.</div