A Santa Fe startup founded in 2017 will provide wireless technology to Northrop Grumman that will be used on NASA's Habitation and Logistics Outpost module which is scheduled for a 2024 launch.
Designed to be smaller than a laptop, Solstar Space Co.'s "mission critical" wireless access point will be mounted inside the module — known as HALO — and provide a WiFi network to help an astronaut communicate with those at ground control, in spacecraft or stationed on the lunar surface, said Mark Matossian, Solstar's co-founder.
"It will securely connect WiFi-enabled components including computers and IoT sensors, creating a collection of space-based networked devices," Matossian said in a news release.
HALO is where astronauts will live and conduct research while visiting what will be known as the Gateway. Based at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, the Gateway Program is tasked with building a small, human-tended space station orbiting the moon that provides essential support for long-term human return to the lunar surface and serves as a staging point for deep space exploration.
Both are part of NASA's Artemis missions, which has goal of landing the first woman and first person of color on the moon and establishing the first long-term presence on the moon.
Northrop Grumman, which was awarded a contract to build HALO, and Solstar announced the effort on Tuesday.
NASA is working with commercial and international partners to establish the Gateway, and Solstar's spaceflight-proven communications technologies have been tested on previous Blue Origin New Shepard and UP Aerospace spaceflight launches.
In addition to the wireless access point, which is designed to provide connections similar to a local network on a commercial airplane, Solstar has developed what it calls the Deke Space Communicator. This technology is meant to provide reliable, secure two-way persistent communication between a launch vehicle and orbiting assets.
Last year, the company opened a crowdfunding campaign on WeFunder. The company was also crowned champion of our inaugural Inno Madness competition.
