SpaceX Pitches NASA on ‘Marslink,’ a Version of Starlink for the Red Planet

SpaceX is working on a concept version of Starlink for Mars, according to a NASA presentation. 

The project was mentioned during Thursday’s meeting of the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group, which is dedicated to supporting NASA missions to the Red Planet. 

In one presentation, NASA staffers talked about the space agency buying commercial services from aerospace companies to help explore Mars, according to SpaceFlight Now. This includes possibly contracting SpaceX, which currently provides its Starlink satellite internet system to over 4 million users on Earth. 

Slides from the presentation show that NASA asked commercial providers to submit proposals that explained how their technology could be applied to Mars. In one slide, NASA listed a concept from SpaceX to develop “Marslink,” which would be based on Starlink satellite designs. 

SpaceX’s concept was among two other ideas about developing “next-generation relay services” capable of beaming 4Mbps or more in data, but across 1.5 astronomical units, or the current distance between Mars and the Sun. This means these satellites would be able to relay data to Earth and other spacecraft across vast stretches of space, likely through Starlink’s laser communication system.

The company is proposing using “multiple space satellites placed in Mars orbit to provide full visibility and interoperability for ground and orbital assets,” the presentation says. The Marslink concept also “exceeds” the requested capability, and can also be used for imaging and monitoring of the planet, the slide added. 

The presentation offers a glimpse at how SpaceX views the long-term future of Starlink. CEO Elon Musk has previously said he envisions Starlink beaming communications to spacecraft, and he’s been vocal about humanity one day colonizing Mars. (Mars-themed secrets are also hidden in the Starlink hardware, the app, and even the terms of service.)

For now, the NASA presentation merely says: “There are a significant number of companies interested, even beyond the study participants.”

The Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group plans to continue to hold discussions with industry players into next year.

In the meantime, NASA recently achieved a “sustained downlink data rate of 6.25 megabits per second” using a laser system on board a spacecraft that was about 240 million miles away—or a similar distance between Mars and Earth when the two planets are farthest apart.