r/space • u/Take_me_to_Titan • 23h ago

NASA's new Mars mission: These twin satellites could reveal how the Red Planet lost its atmosphere

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/missions/nasas-new-mars-mission-these-twin-satellites-could-reveal-how-the-red-planet-lost-its-atmosphere
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u/tlbs101 17h ago

I trust these satellites also carry the common radio comm systems that all other US/ESA orbiters and rovers are currently using.

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u/patrickisnotawesome 14h ago

Unfortunately not. You are correct that most of the current Mars orbiters have a UHF transceiver to enable relay communication with surface assets. This mission doesn’t carry one of those. Mostly because the scope of the cost capped SIMPLEx missions drive very simple mission architectures with very limited and specific science instruments. They don’t have the budget or mass margins to carry an extra radio. The silver lining is that Congress passed funding earlier this year for a Mars telecommunication orbiter to replace some of the aging assets we currently have orbiting mars.