NASA relay planning for the 2016 Mars mission opportunity

Two landers are scheduled to arrive at Mars in the fall of 2016. Telecommunication relay support from the network of Mars relay orbtiers will be crucial in supporting these landers´ mission objectives. Arriving first, NASA´s InSight Lander mission is scheduled to arrive at Mars in September 2016. Coverage of InSight´s Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) requires re-positioning of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter´s orbit plane. After landing, InSight relay support is complicated by the proximity of its landing site to Gale Crater, where Curiosity may well be continuing its surface mission. We present strategies for addressing the relay needs of both landers. Three weeks later, the ESA/RSA ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter will arrive, deploying an EDL Demonstrator Module (EDM) to demonstrate Mars landing technologies and carrying out a short four-sol surface mission. NASA relay orbiters will be critical for support of the EDM surface mission. TGO will continue its science operation while also providing relay services to ESA and NASA landers using a NASA-provided Electra UHF transceiver.