MASC: Integrated Sensing and Communications for the Martian Internet of Space

TL;DR

The paper introduces MASC, a novel integrated sensing and communication system tailored for the Martian environment, enhancing reliability and capacity amidst dust storms and resource constraints for future space missions.

Contribution

MASC is the first system to combine environment-aware hybrid precoding, adaptive parameter mapping, and robust communication techniques specifically for Mars exploration.

Findings

MASC achieves 45% sensing coverage under severe dust storms.

Provides up to 2.5 dB SINR improvement with CSI uncertainty.

Yields 80% higher capacity in moderate dust storms.

Abstract

Mars exploration missions increasingly demand reliable communication systems, yet harsh environmental conditions -- particularly frequent dust storms, extreme Doppler effects, and stringent resource constraints -- pose unprecedented challenges to conventional communication approaches. This paper presents the Martian Adaptive Sensing and Communication (MASC) system specifically designed for the Martian environment. MASC establishes a physically interpretable channel model and develops three key components: environment-aware hybrid precoding, adaptive parameter mapping, and robust communication precoding. Simulation results demonstrate that MASC maintains 45 percent sensing coverage under severe dust conditions compared to only 5 percent with conventional methods, provides up to 2.5 dB signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) improvement at 50 percent channel state information (CSI) uncertainty, and yields 80 percent higher capacity in moderate dust storms. Using an epsilon-constraint multi-objective optimization approach, we enable mission planners to select operational modes ranging from communication-priority (0.33 bps/Hz capacity, 28 percent sensing coverage) to sensing-priority (90 percent coverage with minimal capacity), offering a versatile framework that balances environmental awareness with hyper-reliable data transmission. This work provides a validated blueprint for integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) in non-terrestrial networks (NTN), a key enabler for achieving ubiquitous connectivity in the 6G era.