Nokia is on the verge of making its mobile network project on the moon a reality. The Finnish equipment manufacturer has just announced that its "4G/LTE cellular network" will be deployed on "the South Pole of the Moon" later this year.
A mission imminent
The group specifies that the Lunar Surface Communication System (LSCS) will be integrated into the Athena lander of the IM-2 mission, which is due to launch soon. The device is scheduled to take off at the earliest at the end of February 2025 from NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. As part of this mission, Intuitive Machines, an American company specializing in space exploration, will help Nokia deploy its cellular network on the lunar surface.
Unsurprisingly, the two companies have taken measures to prevent the network equipment from being damaged during the flight. To cross the 384,000 km separating the Earth and the Moon without damage, a heating and cooling system has been put in place. The equipment should thus be able to withstand high temperatures and extreme radiation.
Once up and running, the network will ensure the link between the lander and the mission vehicles, transmitting high-definition videos, commands, controls and telemetry data. These will also be transmitted to Earth, via a control center in Houston, by Intuitive Machines’ transmission service.
Later, Nokia’s 4G network, described as “highly resilient, fully integrated and extremely compact”, will also be incorporated into astronauts’ spacesuits. They will be able to communicate with the exploration vehicles and the lunar lander using a dedicated module.
According to Nokia, “the first cellular network on the Moon” should ultimately be able to “prove that cellular technologies can provide the reliable, high-capacity and efficient connectivity needed for future manned and unmanned missions to the Moon and, ultimately, to Mars”.
A project launched in 2020
This is the culmination of a long-term project for Nokia. The beginnings of the initiative date back to 2020. Five years ago, the company was selected by NASA to build a first cellular network for astronauts. This contract is worth $14.1 million. Initially, the federal agency wanted the network to be operational around 2022.
The project has been delayed, although the first tests were organized a few months after the announcement. Last year, a mission led by Space X, Elon Musk's company, was supposed to allow Nokia to deploy its network, but it seems that the initiative did not come to fruition. Ultimately, Nokia and NASA turned to Intuitive Machines.
Source: Nokia
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