NASA is on a mission to improve communications between travelers in space and on Earth and is one step closer to doing so now that it has installed the first deployment of a new technology at the International Space Station (ISS).

The new system, called Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN), aims to provide uninterrupted connections between people in space and on the planet for not-so-distant space exploration. Basically, it's internet – for the whole solar system.

The DTN's installation is being celebrated because it works differently to Earth's wireless. For example, when an internet signal on this planet is blocked, the connection slows or is disrupted completely. In the past, this prevented the ISS from sending transmissions as large objects – such as planets, other space crafts, and radiation waves – made the signal low. In effect, data was sometimes lost during transmissions. With a solar system-wide internet, however, the network can function even when a recipient server is offline.

As you may have heard, the government organization aims to recruit farmers, teachers, surveyors, and technicians to explore Mars by 2030. Undoubtedly, having solar system-wide internet will assist in that endeavor.