A Worcester Polytechnic Institute research paper models how radio networks could cover terrain near the lunar south pole. The study, titled LunarRF, evaluates 11,827 candidate antenna locations on a 20-meter grid south of 80 degrees south latitude.
Researchers Santorelli and Wyglinski examine three frequencies: 1.8 GHz, 5.855 GHz, and 25.375 GHz. The revised paper, posted October 27, 2026, reports substantially different coverage estimates across those frequencies under its stated radio and terrain assumptions.
Terrain and Frequency Shape Coverage
A surface radio link needs sufficient signal strength between a transmitter and a receiver. On the Moon, ridges, crater walls, and other terrain features can obstruct that connection. Antenna placement affects which areas a station can reach.
The study’s initial coverage estimates are approximately 90.5% at 1.8 GHz, 59% at 5.855 GHz, and 10% at 25.375 GHz. Its model-corrected estimates are approximately 84%, 43%, and 5%, respectively.
These percentages describe modeled geographic coverage when all candidate sites are available under the study’s assumptions. They do not describe an installed network, a deployment using a small number of towers, or measured service availability on the Moon.
The frequency comparison illustrates how the same candidate-site framework can produce different coverage results. It should not be interpreted as a universal ranking of lunar communications systems, which can use different antennas, transmitter powers, receiver characteristics, and network designs.
Local Links and Communications With Earth
LunarRF concerns radio coverage near the surface. A local connection between an astronaut, rover, instrument, and nearby antenna is a different link from the connection carrying information between the Moon and Earth.
NASA’s lunar propagation research examines how radio signals behave in the lunar environment. Such work helps establish the assumptions needed to design and evaluate surface communications.
The LunarRF analysis does not include interference between network transmissions. Its coverage results do not establish how much simultaneous traffic an operating network could carry.
New Space Economy’s lunar network coverage provides context on the communications infrastructure being developed for lunar activities. LunarRF contributes a narrower tool: a terrain-based method for comparing candidate antenna locations and frequencies before hardware is deployed.
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