Lockheed Talks Lunar Comms Network With Space Bureau

Future services available via Lockheed Martin's planned Parsec lunar communications network could include data storage, processing and power, company officials told FCC Space Bureau Chief Julie Kearney, per a bureau filing last week. Lockheed said it expects its initial commercial mission to the lunar surface to be in Q1 2026, same as launch of Parsec-1, one of its planned relay satellites between the moon and Earth. Lockheed said there's no need for a rulemaking before FCC action on its applications (see 2305040005), saying there's precedent to grant waivers to allow new technologies and services when there's no seeming risk to ongoing operations. IT said the 7/8 GHz band is already allocated for similar uses, and there's no proof there would be Earth interference from operations on the moon's surface. Arguing earlier this month for a rulemaking, CTIA said that approach "would proactively build policy guidelines that create regulatory certainty for the nascent lunar telecommunications industry as well as ensuring that the Commission can advance its terrestrial mobile broadband goals."