Can terrestrial networks can meet the communications needs of future space missions? Maybe.
Nokia is planning to launch 4G internet on the moon later this year, an executive for the company said.
It will be used within Nasa’s Artemis 1 mission, which aims to establish a human presence on the moon again (last time was 1972).
The aim is to show that terrestrial networks can meet the communications needs of future space missions.
Nokia is selected by Vodafone to be its technology partner for Mission to the Moon project.
NASA will fund a project by Nokia to build a 4G cellular communication network on the moon with $14.1 million.
The network will configure itself and establish a 4G/LTE communications system on the moon.
An LTE connection will be established between the lander and the rover.
Vodafone 4G network will enable first live-streaming of HD video from the Moon’s surface to a global audience.
The Finnish telecommunications group plans to launch the network on a SpaceX rocket over the coming months.
Intuitive Machines plans to deliver the equipment to the moon on their lunar lander.
The network will be powered by an antenna-equipped base station stored in a Nova-C lunar lander designed by U.S. space firm Intuitive Machines, as well as by an accompanying solar-powered rover. Nokia says the technology is designed to withstand the extreme conditions of space.
Sources and links to more information:
4G internet is set to arrive on the moon later this year
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/28/nokia-set-to-launch-4g-internet-on-the-moon-later-this-year.html
NASA is launching a 4G phone network on the moon
Nokia’s lunar LTE network will allow astronauts to make calls, stream data and remote control robots.
https://www.cnet.com/news/nasa-is-launching-a-4g-phone-network-on-the-moon/
Nokia has aimed to moon for few years
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2018/02/27/nokia-is-selected-by-vodafone-to-be-its-technology-partner-for-mission-to-the-moon-project/
Got any signal up here? Nokia to build mobile network on the moon
https://www.reuters.com/article/nokia-nasa-moon-idUSKBN2741JR
NASA funds Nokia plan to provide cellular service on moon
https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2020/10/15/NASA-funds-Nokia-plan-to-provide-cellular-service-on-moon/2001602710195
https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/solicitations/tipping_points/2020_selections
9 Comments
Octordle Unlimited says:
4G on Moon seems very far-fetched. When was the last time we even landed on Moon again?
Tomi Engdahl says:
No humans on the moon for a long time.
But there has been quite a lot of not manned activity towards the moon in last few years
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_missions_to_the_Moon
2023 is set to be a bumper year for Moon missions. Russia, India, and the European Space Agency are all gearing up to launch missions.
https://www.borntoengineer.com/the-moon-what-moon-missions-are-planned-for-2023
wordle hint says:
4G on the moon seems like a very distant thing. How long does it take people to do that?
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/08/09/humanitys-return-to-the-moon-and-the-prospect-of-south-pole-moon-bases/
Tomi Engdahl says:
India Makes History With Chandrayaan-3 Landing
https://hackaday.com/2023/08/24/india-makes-history-with-chandrayaan-3-landing/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Moon Mission: Powering the Lunar Surface
Aug. 30, 2023
1
We’re going back to the Moon, but more electrical power is needed to live there. NASA and selected companies will develop technologies to enable long-term exploration.
https://www.electronicdesign.com/technologies/power/article/21272775/electronic-design-moon-mission-powering-the-lunar-surface?utm_source=EG+ED+Analog+%26+Power+Source&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS230824102&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.identpull=omeda|7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
What’s you’ll learn:
The plan behind NASA’s return to the moon.
What are some of the companies involved in this project?
The role of ice and/or water at the moon’s poles in developing lunar power.
NASA took “a second giant step for man,” on July 25, 2023, opening the door for humans to “live off the land” on the Moon. It’s awarding several contracts toward the construction of landing pads, habitats, and roads on the lunar surface, using nuclear power for energy.
The moon that NASA is striving to visit isn’t the same moon that Neil Armstrong and other Apollo astronauts left behind some 50 years ago. Journeying to the Moon and returning to Earth was the first effort achieved during the Apollo era in the 1960s and early 1970s. Now, during the next phase, it intends to build a sustainable presence that will focus on the Lunar South Pole, where water exists in the form of ice.
NASA selected 11 U.S. companies to develop technologies that would support long-term exploration on the lunar surface, as well as in outer space for the benefit of mankind.
Tomi says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15773-nokia-valittiin-kehittaemaeaen-verkkoinfraa-kuuhun
Tomi Engdahl says:
Maapallolla radiohiljaisuus on lähes mahdotonta – ihmiskunnan laitteet aiheuttavat häiriöitä kaikille aallonpituuksille. Kuussa ei toistaiseksi radiolähteitä ole, mutta Maan häiriöt voivat ulottua sinnekin.
https://www.avaruus.fi//uutiset/aurinko-planeetat-ja-kuut/nasa-haluaa-tutkia-radiohairioiden-maaraa-kuun-pinnalla.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/16501-nokian-4g-istutetaan-avaruuspukuun
Eikö olisi kätevää, jos kuun pinnalla käyskentelevä astronautti voisi lähettää maahan reaaliaikaista videota. Tämä voi olla mahdollista NASAn seuraavalla kuulennolla. Artemis III -projektin puvut on tarkoitus varustaa Nokian 4G/LTE-yhteydellä.
Nokia on tehnyt yhteistyötä Axiom Spacen kanssa integroidakseen edistyneet 4G/LTE-viestintäominaisuudet seuraavan sukupolven avaruuspukuihin, joita käytetään Artemis III -kuumatkalla. Yhtiöt liittävät nopean matkapuhelinverkon Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) -yksikköön, joka tukee HD-videota, telemetriadataa ja puheensiirtoa useiden kilometrien matkalla Kuussa. Tämän ansiosta Artemis III:n miehistö voi tallentaa reaaliaikaista videokuvaa ja kommunikoida maan päällä olevien lennonjohtajien kanssa, kun he tutkivat kuun pintaa.