Challenges and Perspectives in Lunar Communication and Navigation Systems for Future Cis-lunar Space Exploration Missions

With the increasing interest in lunar exploration and potential for human habitation, the need for accurate and reliable navigation systems on the Moon has become more crucial than ever. The absence of a well-established lunar navigation infrastructure poses significant challenges to future space missions, including safe landing, trajectory planning, and autonomous operations. In this context, the development of a Lunar communication and navigation system (LCNS) capable of providing precise and real-time navigation services is of utmost importance. This thesis initially presents European space agency (ESA)’s Moonlight mission, and then goes on to describe various proposed implementations of LCNS, considering its technical feasibility, performance, and potential applications. The first stage involves Global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-only technologies and architectures, then moves into the second one where the proposals are GNSS-aided, and finally in the third one, we move on to Lunar-only implementations, thus totally independent of GNSS. Ultimately, the thesis concludes that while significant challenges exist, innovative solutions can ensure the development of robust communication and navigation systems for future cis-lunar space exploration missions.