| Names | MTO |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Mars orbiter |
| Operator | NASA |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | TBA |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | TBA |
| Rocket | TBA |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral |
| Contractor | TBA |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Areocentric |
| Periareon altitude | 180 km (110 mi) |
| Apoareon altitude | 4,500 km (2,800 mi) |
| Mars orbiter | |
TheMars Telecommunications Orbiter (MTO) is a planned Mars orbiter mission intended to provide better communication for the Mars lander, rover and other spacecraft on the surface of the planet.
 | |
| Mission type | Planetary science,Mars exploration |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| Website | JPL's MTO web page at theWayback Machine (archived September 24, 2005) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | TBA |
| Rocket | Atlas V(401) or aDelta-4M. |
| Contractor | JPL |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Semi-major axis | 5,000 km (3,106.9 mi) |
| |
TheMars Telecommunications Orbiter (MTO) was initially acancelled Mars mission that was originally intended to launch in 2009 and would have established anInterplanetary Internet between Earth and Mars.[1][2] The spacecraft would have arrived in a high orbit above Mars in 2010 and relayed data packets to Earth from a variety of Mars landers, rovers and orbiters for as long as ten years, at an extremely high data rate. Such a dedicated communications satellite was thought to be necessary due to the vast quantity of scientific information to be sent to Earth by landers such as theMars Science Laboratory.[3]
On July 21, 2005, it was announced that MTO had been canceled due to the need to support other short-term goals, including aHubble servicing mission,Mars Exploration Rover extended mission operations, launchingMars Science Laboratory in 2009, and to prevent Earth science missionGlory from being cancelled.[4]
The initial Mars Telecommunications Orbiter would have carried a Mars Laser Communication Demonstration to demonstratelaser communication in space (optical communications), instead of usualradiowaves. "Lasercom sends information using beams of light and optical elements, such as telescopes and optical amplifiers, rather than RF signals, amplifiers, and antennas."[5]
The original MTO would have had two 15 W X-band radio transmitters, and two Ka-band radio transmitters (35 W operational, and 100 W experimental).[1]
After the cancellation, a broader mission was proposed as theMars Science and Telecommunications Orbiter.[6] However, this mission was soon criticized as lacking well-defined parameters and objectives.[7] Another mission, the2013 Mars Science Orbiter, had also been proposed, though it would never be carried out.[8]
The communications capability provided by theMars Reconnaissance Orbiter andMars Express science missions has proven substantial, demonstrating that dedicated relay satellites may be unnecessary in the near future. The two newest science orbiters are theMAVEN, which arrived to Mars on September 21, 2014, with anElectratransceiver; and the 2016 EuropeanExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, that also carries anElectraUHF bandtransceiver.[9] However, these orbiters follow science orbits that are not designed for relay communications.
In 2014, there was a concern in NASA that the currently used relay satellite,Mars Odyssey, may fail, resulting in the need to pressMAVEN science orbiter into use as the backup telecommunications relay,[10] however, the highly elliptical orbit of MAVEN would limit its usefulness as a relay for operating landers on the surface.[11][12]
In 2018, aNext Mars Orbiter (NeMO) was proposed by NASA. NeMO is to be a dedicated telecommunications orbiter with a robust science package,[13][14] which was expected to launch in 2022.[15] It was anticipated to employ alaser communication subsystem, that was successfully tested aboard theLunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission in 2013. This project is currently on hiatus as of 2025.[16]
On July 4, 2025 (nearly twenty years after the project had initially been cancelled), the MTO mission was revived following the signing of theOne Big Beautiful Bill Act byU.S. President Donald Trump. The act has allocated $700 million for the development of a new MTO, which will be dually-used for both a Mars Sample Return mission and future crewed Mars missions.[17] The MTO will be procured through afixed-price contact from commercial partners who previously received funding from NASA for design studies for aMars Sample Return Mission that proposed a telecommunication orbiter as a part of their proposed mission.[18] That makes a maximum of seven companies eligible,Aerojet Rocketdyne,Blue Origin,Lockheed Martin,Northrop Grumman,Quantum Space,SpaceX andWhittinghill Aerospace.[19]
On August 12, 2025,Blue Origin, an aerospace company that has partnered with NASA in previous missions,[20] announced a proposed MTO mission that would fulfill NASA's new requirements. It would be based on Blue Origin'sBlue Ring Satellite Platform supplemented by a yet unclarified small number of deployableUHF relay satellites that would enable it to provide wide-area coverage. It is envisioned by Blue Origin to be operational by 2028.[21]
It is due to arrive at Mars in September, but MAVEN's planned orbit is not ideal for collecting and sending rover data.
"(iii) is selected from among the commercial proposals that— "(I) received funding from the Administration in fiscal year 2024 or 2025 for commercial design studies for Mars Sample Return; and "(II) proposed a separate, independently launched Mars telecommunication orbiter supporting an end-to-end Mars sample return mission; and "(B) which shall be delivered to the Administration not later than December 31, 2028.
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