Lunar propagation modeling using 2D Parabolic Wave and 3D Ray Tracing Solvers at 1.8 GHz

The NASA Artemis Program will further our understanding of Earth's moon by enabling human exploration of the lunar South Pole. This mission will require high-data-rate communications to minimize exposure of human and robotic explorers to extreme environmental effects. This requirement pushes the radio frequency higher than UHF, which would typically be used for robust surface-to-surface communications in a rugged terrain environment. To help with the design of such a communications system, the one-way propagation loss at 1.8 GHz is modeled at a candidate lunar South Pole landing site using two models: Tropospheric Electromagnetic Parabolic Equation Routine (TEMPER) and Remcom Inc.'s Wireless Insite (WI). Selenic LiDAR data of the lunar terrain is used in each model. Both models offer significant advantages over simple Line-of-Sight (LOS) coverage solutions. Each method has its advantages over the other. TEMPER captures shadowing and diffraction more accurately than WI, and WI captures scattering effects better than TEMPER. Merging the two results allows for a conservative estimate of performance, needed when designing a reliable and secure communications network on the lunar surface.