There should be humans again on the Moon by 2024, thanks to NASA, but there are still a lot of questions about how that will work. A thing that scientists are working on, for example, is communication between Earth and the Moon, which needs complex equipment and is expensive to boot.
Already, there is a plan to make this communication work. We are getting closer to the goal of returning humans to the Moon. If all goes well, a new satellite will appear between Earth and the Moon in 2023 and this satellite will facilitate communication.
Under current circumstances, building a device just so there's communication between our planet and our natural satellite requires a huge amount of equipment. To put it in perspective, the data would have to travel 225,000 miles, meaning a transmission signal of immense power is needed. To produce that kind of power, we'll need bulky and heavy equipment, and that translates to huge costs.
That cost appears to have been defrayed already -- thanks to a new private space company called CommStar Space Communications. Its new private venture will make it possible for a data relay satellite that will serve as communications equipment to and from the Moon. The company will lower the weight of the equipment, which in turn will lower the cost.
To achieve that kind of feat, CommStar Space Communications will place a relay satellite near the Moon, which will include optical laser communications in order to speed up communications of any device or asset between the Earth and our natural satellite.
CommStar's goal is to achieve the extraordinary accomplishments of private space launch companies, the likes of Rocket Lab and Elon Musk's SpaceX, but with a focus on the lunar communications market. Not everybody is aware that kind of market exists, but it's an untapped territory for sure with a lot of potential.
The first satellite has been named "CommStar-1. The company worked with Thales Alenia Space for its design, which should be an ongoing partnership. According to TechCrunch, a planned development is underway for a privately owned operated network of satellites, which CommStar hopes will be the backbone of the communications system between the Moon and Earth, and in the future, other destinations in space.
CommStar is planning to deploy the first satellite in 2023. It's a timeline that's way too soon, and there are no launch partners and other plans announced as of writing. But the company is positive about what lies ahead.
