Communicating in space is still pretty rough, and our current information-transferring system is aging quick. There must be a better system, and NASA is open to suggestions.
The space agency has posted a Request for Information, or RFI, on creating "Next Generation Spaced-Based Relay Communication And Navigation Architecture." If that sounds a little vague, it should. This is what the current system is responsible for:
Basically, it connects low-earth-orbiting satellites, the International Space Station, and Earth. But these satellites have already existed for longer than they were intended to, and by the early 2020s, they'll need to be replaced with a new infrastructure. That could look like ... anything, pretty much. Either ground- or spaced-based systems could be integrated, as long as they communicate effectively. (And as long as they're cheap, flexible, and backward-compatible with the current system. The list of necessities is pretty extensive.)
If you've got an idea, send it NASA's way!
So, you know, just keep this in the back of your head for now.
[NASA]
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