Networks ready to keep Artemis II crew connected around the Moonby Clarence OxfordLos Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 30, 2026NASA is preparing a pair of global communications networks to keep the four-person Artemis II crew connected with Earth as they travel from low Earth orbit to a loop around the Moon and back. Artemis missions use both the Near Space Network and the Deep Space Network, which operate under the oversight of NASA's Space Communications and Navigation, or SCaN, Program. Flight controllers will operate the Near Space Network and Deep Space Network in a tightly coordinated fashion throughout Artemis II. He pointed to strong collaboration with commercial partners as a key factor in advancing space communications infrastructure and enabling increasingly ambitious exploration campaigns. The combination of the Near Space Network, the Deep Space Network, and emerging optical and relay technologies is designed to keep Artemis II connected at every feasible step, while laying the groundwork for sustained human activity in deep space in the decades ahead.