Overview
L3Harris’ Universal Space Transponder (UST) is integral in the secure transmission of data, video, audio and telemetry information to and from Earth, and relays information to other spacecraft deployed to Mars. Flexible by design, the UST’s multi-band transponder accommodates many mission scenarios where data links are required between two spacecraft.
The Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission is developing capabilities to return Martian samples to Earth for detailed analysis. The Perseverance rover will collect Martian rocks, soil and atmospheric samples.
The MSR program relies on two L3Harris transceivers – the existing Electra transceiver on the Earth Return Orbiter and the new UST located on the Sample Retrieval Lander.
For 20 years, every U.S. rover on Mars and orbiting spacecraft mission have used L3Harris transceivers including the Electra-Lite and Electra on both Perseverance and orbiting spacecraft. The MSR program is a continuation of our historic relationship with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Numerous NASA programs have relied on L3Harris’ high reliability designs, manufacturing expertise and technology – from early spacecraft through the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Space Shuttle, International Space Station and previous Mars missions. L3Harris has supported deep space exploration with work on the Hubble Space Telescope and now the James Webb and Nancy Grace Roman space telescopes. In addition, the company supports space-based weather forecasting on U.S. and international satellites and has navigation technology on every U.S. GPS satellite.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
