The initiative, which will have the collaboration of SpaceX, is essential for the planned long-term stays on the Earth’s natural satellite.
4G on the Moon: “The challenge is to meet the appropriate size, weight and power requirements,” said those involved.
Two organizations belonging to various sectors, NASA, from the space field, and Nokia, a telecommunications specialist, have partnered in an initiative that, following Neil Armstrong’s famous phrase, will represent a “great step for humanity” beyond Earth. . With the collaboration of SpaceX, they will launch a mission to launch a 4G connectivity network in space.
4G beyond Earth: the joint project of NASA and Nokia
This year a SpaceX rocket will be launched that will take 4G to the Moon. The lunar landing module will install the system at the south pole of the satellite, which will be controlled from Earth. The precise date for takeoff has not yet been announced.
The joint project between the United States space agency and Nokia Bell Labs is launched as we approach the return of humans to the Moon. With a recently revised schedule, NASA plans to return with crew members to our planet’s natural satellite towards the end of 2026, within the framework of the Artemis missions. For the first time, a woman will be part of the group of astronauts. The last time one of us was in that place was more than five decades ago, in 1972 (Apollo 17).
The parties involved noted that the availability of 4G beyond Earth will be key to the lunar economy.
“The first challenge in getting a network up and running is having space-qualified cellular equipment that meets the appropriate size, weight and power requirements, as well as being deployed without an on-site technician,” Director Walt Engelund told CNN. of NASA Space Technology Missions. In addition, the system must be suitable to operate in the hostile lunar environment, with extreme temperatures and radiation.
Following the source, Intuitive Machines, the privately funded aerospace group that recently achieved its own feat by achieving the successful landing of an exploration module, also participates in the initiative.
The search for ice on the Moon will be transmitted via streaming to Earth
Once the new module with 4G technology is deployed to operate in space, it will be linked to two vehicles that will have their own mission: search for ice on the Moon. One of the vehicles, the Outpost rover, will explore the area known as Shackleton Connecting Ridge; while the other, the Micro-Nova Hopper, will study a crater to look for evidence of frozen water. The images will be transmitted via streaming to Earth, almost in real time, through the cellular network.
The search for ice on the Moon – current research agrees that there are reserves on the Earth’s satellite – is one of the primary focuses of the scientific missions that fly to that destination. The availability of this resource is relevant, since it will allow human subsistence, long-term stays, and will also serve for the operation of vehicles. For the rest, it will be key for the lunar presence to serve as a springboard to fly to other planets, starting with Mars.
Cosmic Internet: how do astronauts communicate now in space and how will they do so in the future?
Currently, astronauts communicate with each other through radio systems. The plan now facing NASA foresees the availability of a communications environment capable of supporting high-resolution videos and scientific data, Engelund said. “Being able to communicate on the Moon is fundamental for Artemis, as fundamental as any other element of the mission, such as energy, water to drink and air to breathe,” said the NASA representative.
The step is not trivial. “Over time, this effort will help establish a lunar communications network that could give our explorers the ability to transmit scientific data, consult with mission control and talk to their families, as if they were walking down the street with their cell phones,” he added. In Creole, this technology would allow astronauts to use the same applications that we have here on Earth. From posting a photo on Instagram, uploading a video to TikTok, to chatting on WhatsApp.
