In an effort to speed up data connections between Mars and Earth, NASA has reached out to US and international companies and scientists for solutions.
Currently, NASA depends on satellites used for research carrying specially designed radios – but the current technology is aging, insufficient, and will likely deteriorate before NASA’s budget allows for more satellites to be launched.
The Federal Business Opportunities website (http://FBO.com) states that the project would consist of “orbiters capable of providing standardized telecommunication services for rovers and landers on the Martian surface, in the Martian atmosphere, or in Mars orbit.”