Formulation of Modulation Recommendations for Future NASA Space Communications

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has recently conducted a comprehensive study to identify the most appropriate and efficient modulation, coding, multiple access and link protocol techniques for future space communication links supporting space exploration and science missions. The study was chartered by NASA's space communication and navigation (SCaN) office and is referred to as the coding, modulation, and link protocol (CMLP) study. This paper describes the CMLP modulation evaluation and states the relevant conclusions and recommendations.