Artemis IV Alternate Communication System

Section 1 - Overview:

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is seeking information from U.S. and international commercial providers on support for the Artemis IV mission. NASA is particularly interested in innovative, secondary communications capabilities that can enable robust, high rate data return from the Orion crew vehicle during operations in lunar orbit.

This Request for Information (RFI) is issued by NASA's Artemis Program Office, and aims to identify mature services and user terminals that can augment Orion's primary communication system. Respondents are invited to submit end-to-end system concepts that could provide continuous, high bandwidth transmission of mission data in the dynamic lunar environment and contribute to the success of crewed space exploration under the Artemis program.

Section 2 - RFI Overview:

2.1 The Artemis IV Mission:
The Artemis IV mission will launch crew in the Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to rendezvous with the Human Landing System (HLS). Once docked crew will transfer from Orion to the lunar lander for transportation to the surface of the Moon. Orion will remain in lunar orbit until HLS returns from the lunar surface and crew transfer back to Orion for return to Earth.

The Artemis IV mission profile is still being finalized. For the purposes of responses to this RFI, the following Ground Rules and Assumptions can be considered:
Artemis IV launch no later than March 2028
Orion will travel to a lunar orbit
Non-Critical (Crit 3) Application

2.2 Service and Integration Expectations:
With the Artemis IV mission profile occurring in a lunar orbit, Orion's primary communication system is challenged to provide a high-rate system capable of streaming live 4k imagery. To meet these demands, a secondary communications system is being evaluated for inclusion in the Artemis IV Orion configuration. It is anticipated that, to meet these requirements, the system must provide near continuous communication with a return link of at least 12 Mbps, while in a lunar orbit.

Given the short timeline and availability of hardware, ease of integration into the Orion vehicle is a significant consideration.

Performance Objectives:

• Near continuous communication (goal: > 75%)
• > 12 Mbps Downlink (goal: 20-50Mbps)
• > 500 kbps Uplink (Desired to support Class 2 CFDP, not a system requirement)
• System must provide a broad field of regard or steerable antenna/aperture
  • Orion has many driving attitude constraints so precise vehicle pointing of a fixed antenna/aperture is not available

Orion Vehicle Integration:

Given the short timeline, ease of integration into the Orion vehicle is a significant consideration. Key design parameters include:

• Data Interface: Ethernet or WiFi
• Hardware Control & Telemetry Interface: Ethernet or WiFi
• Power Interface: 120 VDC (preferred) or 28 VDC, < 150W max (goal)
• Mass: < 50kg (goal)
• Max Volume: 32 x 20 x 18 (goal)

Implementation Options:

Both internally configured and externally mounted implementations will be considered.

If the schedule outlined below proves untenable, please provide a revised hardware delivery schedule that can be met.

• Parameters if externally mounted on Orion Crew Module Adapter
  • Mounted under Service Module (SM) fairing during launch
  • Assumes system is a single assembly, mounted on a plate or pallet
  • No active cooling
  • Engineering Hardware delivery needed by December 2026.
  • Flight Hardware delivery needed by March 2027.
    • Location is not accessible after SM fairing installation during I&T
    • Assume typical launch vehicle and LEO environments
• Parameters if internally configured by Orion crew
  • Stowed during launch and setup by the crew
    • Multiple separate components can be assumed
    • Assume antenna placed against window, not integrated into spacecraft
  • Flight Hardware delivery needed in fall 2027.
    • Crew cabin can be accessed later in I&T flow than Service Module
  • Assume soft stow launch and pressurized cabin environments

Testing:

• It will be essential to perform Spacecraft (End to End) data flow test prior to launch

Section 3. Requested Information
NASA invites detailed responses from industry on existing or planned capabilities that are available to support NASA's emerging needs for Orion in lunar orbit during Artemis IV. Respondents are encouraged to submit existing documentation, such as Interface Control Documents (ICDs), Service Level Agreements (SLAs), or User Guides, where available.

Information provided will be used solely for internal Government planning, market research, and acquisition strategy development purposes. NASA will not publicly release company-specific data or estimates.

Response to questions can be marked proprietary or confidential information. However, industry respondents are encouraged to deliver information such that it can be openly shared with the NASA stakeholder community and critical industry partners involved with Orion vehicle, enabling NASA to move quickly to assess and execute on any next steps.

Below are summaries of anticipated system elements and the corresponding details expected to be necessary for determining potential support to Artemis IV crew Orion. Please provide the following system information for consideration, or a rationale for why this information was not included:

System Overview:

• Overview Description

System Terminal Parameters:

• Internal vs. External
• Size
• Weight
• Mass
• Volume
• Vehicle Interfaces
• Any unique needs (e.g. Thermal)

Space-Relay Architecture Parameters:

• Service Volume
• Constellation details
• Supporting ground infrastructure
• Existing (June 2026) vs. planned (March 2028) assets, and clear accounting of schedule risks that could impact service availability

End-to-End:

• Ground interfaces
• Cloud services
• Relevant APIs
• Current end-to-end flows
• Any assets that have existing MCC interfaces

Quantitively Link and Reliability Analysis:

• Link budgets and projected data rates
• Coverage analysis, including any major attitude dependencies
• Projected network availability and reliability

Expected Delivery, Integration and Test Schedule:

• Estimated delivery date for an Engineering Unit
• Estimated delivery date for a Flight Unit
• Required integration steps and projected timeline
• Required validation and test steps and timeline

Cost:

• ROM (Rough order of Magnitude) cost for FY26, FY27, and FY28

Additional Information:

• Provide any additional insights not covered above

3. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
A Request for Information Question and Answer session will occur virtually on June 26, 2026. Please submit requests to join by 5pm CT on June 25, 2026 to philip.e.bristol@nasa.gov.

Following the Q&A session, Capability Statements referencing the above requested documentation shall be submitted electronically via email to scott.stephens@nasa.gov, philip.e.bristol@nasa.gov, and kenton.r.fisher@nasa.gov, no later than July 8, 2026, at 4:00 pm CT. The subject of the email shall read Artemis IV ALT COMM RFI Response. Provide name of submitter and contact information (Company Name, Location, Contact Name, Phone Number and Email Address) on the cover page. At the discretion of the government private one-on-one meetings may be scheduled following the review of the Capability Statements.

4. DISCLAIMER
This RFI is issued solely for information-gathering and planning purposes only. It does not constitute a solicitation or a commitment by the Government to procure any services. This is a request for information for planning and information purposes only. This is not a request for proposal or quotation, nor is this a solicitation for a contract or grant award. This RFI does not obligate the Government in any way. The Government will not reimburse the respondents for any costs associated with the information submitted in response to this request.

No corresponding solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation following this is released, it will be posted on www.sam.gov (https://www.sam.gov/). It is the interested party's responsibility to monitor this site for the release of any solicitation or synopsis.

5. POINTS OF CONTACT
For questions regarding this RFI, please email scott.stephens@nasa.gov, philip.e.bristol@nasa.gov, and kenton.r.fisher@nasa.gov.