The role of digital simulation technology in NASA's Artemis program, which is ushering in the next era of lunar exploration, is receiving increasing attention.

Synopsys, a global semiconductor design software company, announced on the 17th that it is expanding technical support in cooperation with NASA for the safety analysis of spacesuits for lunar exploration and the construction of next-generation lunar communication infrastructure.

Synopsys, together with NASA's Johnson Space Center and John Glenn Research Center, is conducting a precise analysis of the impact of the moon's unique extreme environment on astronaut spacesuits.

The key is the phenomenon of charge accumulation and electrostatic discharge occurring in the fine soil and plasma environment of the lunar surface.

These electrical hazards can directly affect life support systems and communication equipment, which is directly related to the safety of long-term exploration missions.

To this end, Synopsys has partnered with EMA, a company specializing in electromagnetic simulation, to analyze the multilayer structure of the Artemis spacesuit in three dimensions.

The goal is to reduce design risk by verifying the possibility of charge transfer and discharge in a virtual environment prior to actual production.

The related analysis includes a simulation capable of integrally interpreting plasma interactions and surface filling.The solution is being utilized, and the results are cross-verified with experimental data.

Collaboration is also continuing in the field of lunar communication technology.

Synopsys, together with Cesium, a spatial data specialist, built a 'Digital Moon' environment based on high-resolution lunar topography data.

In this virtual environment, it is possible to predict in advance not only the performance of antennas to be mounted on spacesuits and rovers, but also communication blind spots caused by craters and rocky terrain.

In particular, the 'Lunar 3GPP' project being pursued by NASA's Glenn Research Center is utilizing this digital twin technology to visualize communication coverage on the lunar surface and seek optimal network design.

The strategy is to increase the probability of mission success by verifying communication reliability before hardware deployment.

Jim Bridenstine, a government project advisor at Synopsys and former NASA administrator, emphasized, “Digital engineering, which iteratively verifies designs in virtual environments, is a key means of simultaneously boosting the speed and safety of space exploration,” adding that it “enables the innovative approach required by the Artemis program.”