6G at 1/6G: A Review and Future Directions for Cislunar Communications

Sahan Liyanaarachchi, Stavros Mitrolaris, Purbesh Mitra, Sennur Ulukus

Abstract: What will the future of cislunar communications be? The ever-expanding horizons of space exploration missions and the need to establish sustainable space communication and navigation infrastructure necessitate thinking about this question thoroughly. On the other hand, steady progress in terrestrial communication leading up to 5G and 6G networks has presented a variety of ideas and optimization techniques. In this article, we explore the potential for improvement in cislunar communications with the backdrop of new technological advancements. In the article, we discuss ongoing cislunar developments, goals for the near future, and 6G concepts, such as reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, quantum-resistant physical layer security, private information read/write/cache networks, semantic and goal-oriented communications, information freshness-based quality of communication metrics, and multi-relay and cooperative networks. In addition, we present relevant promising avenues to explore to shape the future of cislunar communications.

External IDs:dblp:journals/cm/LiyanaarachchiMMU25