NASA has selected Nokia as a partner to build the first-ever cellular network on the Moon, helping pave the way towards a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface.
Nokia announced that it was named partner by NASA to advance “Tipping Point” technologies for the Moon thus, deploying the first LTE/4G communications system in space.
Nokia will be partnering with Texas-based Intuitive Machines to integrate the groundbreaking communication network for this mission into the lunar lander and deliver it to the lunar surface.
Long-lasting Network
The network will be designed to survive through the extreme launch and lunar landing conditions as well as to operate in space. It will be packed off to the Moon in an extremely compact form, meeting all the size, weight and power constraints of space payloads.
Key Highlights
• Under the NASA partnership, Nokia will build the first-ever ultra-compact and low-powered end-to-end LTE solution. The technology will be developed by Nokia Bell Labs’ pioneering innovations.
• Nokia’s lunar system will include an LTE Base Station, LTE User Equipment, RF antennas and high-reliability operations and maintenance (O&M) control software.
• The wireless technology will be designed in such a way that it will self-configure upon deployment, leading to the establishment of the first-ever LTE communications system on the Moon.
• It will provide critical communication capabilities, which will support real-time navigation, remote control of lunar rovers, vital command and control functions and high definition video streaming.
• The communication applications are extremely important for a long-term human presence on the lunar surface in line with NASA's plan to return humans to the moon by 2024 under its Artemis programme.
• Nokia’s LTE network is expected to be ideal to provide wireless connectivity on the lunar surface for any activity that astronauts need to carry out.
• It would allow telemetry and biometric data exchange, enable voice and video communications capabilities, and deploy and control robotic and sensor payloads.
Lunar Settlements
The wireless broadband communications system is expected to be deployed on the lunar surface by late 2022, before the return of humans to the Moon. NASA plans to get humans back on the moon by 2024 and build lunar settlements there to support future missions to other planets such as Mars.
NASA's Artemis program
Under the Artemis program, NASA plans to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. The program will be supported by other space agencies as well.
NASA expects international partnerships to play a key role in taking the program to its next level to achieve the long-term goal of establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon.
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