Speaker
Description
Wireless communications have long been the invisible infrastructure enabling exploration, discovery, and human connection. As humanity pushes beyond Earth’s boundaries to the stars, the ability to build reliable and scalable communication systems that are intelligent, adaptive, and resilient is becoming as important as the missions they support. Software-defined radios (SDRs) have emerged as a transformative platform for realizing this vision, enabling communication systems that can evolve alongside changing environments, mission objectives, and societal needs.
This keynote presents a personal journey through three research efforts spanning the evolution of adaptive space wireless communications over the past decade. It begins with the development of NASA Glenn Research Center’s first orbital cognitive radio experiment aboard the International Space Station, where intelligent SDR algorithms dynamically adapted communications between Earth and orbit in response to changing channel conditions and mission requirements. It then explores more recent work supporting NASA’s Artemis vision through the Mosaic 5G project, where realistic lunar propagation models and OpenAirInterface 5G were used to investigate sidelink communications for future lunar surface operations. Finally, it looks toward an emerging frontier: integrating low Earth orbit broadband satellite networks with robotic telemedicine to extend advanced medical expertise beyond traditional broadband and healthcare deserts, demonstrating how technologies originally developed for space exploration can create meaningful societal impact on Earth.
Together, these experiences illustrate the evolution of adaptive wireless systems from experimental research to mission-enabling infrastructure and, ultimately, to technologies capable of improving lives. The keynote concludes with perspectives on the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead as the wireless communications community continues to redefine what is possible, from Earth to the Moon, and beyond.