NOKIA is going to the Moon with Nasa to install 4G connection and allow astronauts to call each other and controllers back home.
Once executed, it will mark a significant leap in space exploration as the US and China plot their own separate, permanent, lunar habitation bases.
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The iconic phone brand has partnered with Axiom Space to integrate 4G LITE capabilities into the next-generation of spacesuits.
These spacesuits, designed by Axiom in collaboration with Prada, are what Nasa’s Artemis III astronauts will be wearing when they touch down on the Moon.
It will allow astronauts to send real-time HD video, voice communications and data telemetry across several kilometres on the Moon.
It can also be used for clearer, and faster communication with ground controllers.
“From manned missions to probes speeding their way to the farthest corners of the solar system and beyond, the thirst to discover the secrets of the Universe has never been so resolutely demonstrated as it is now,” Nokia wrote in a statement.
“To that end, the need for advanced and resilient space communications equipment cannot be understated as space agencies around the world race to reach for the stars.”
Nokia and Axiom have plans to equip Artemis III astronauts with network connectivity during their mission, which is currently scheduled for launch in September 2026.
Artemis III will be the first crewed lunar mission in 50 years.
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Next stop Mars
The network will require an ‘LTE base station’ mounted the Artemis landing module to communicate with astronauts through the spacesuits.
Communications will run through the base station and back down to Earth, and vice versa.
Similar weather-and-shock resistant equipment will be installed on a lunar rover, built by Intuitive Machines, and other payloads outside of the lander vehicle.
Astronauts aboard the lunar rover and lander will be able to talk to each other through each vehicle thanks to a network connection between the two.
It became evident to us that, for any sustained human presence on the Moon and Mars in the future, connectivity and communications are critical.
Thierry E. Klein, President of Bell Labs Solutions Research at Nokia
Nokia secured the contract in 2022 as part of Nasa’s Tipping Point programme which aims to accelerate emerging space technologies.
Nasa plans to leverage these innovations to establish sustainable operations on the Moon by the end of the decade in preparation for an expedition to Mars sometime in the 2030s.
Thierry E. Klein, President of Bell Labs Solutions Research at Nokia, noted that the technology won’t just be used on the Moon – but one day Mars, too.
“It became evident to us that, for any sustained human presence on the Moon and Mars in the future, connectivity and communications are critical,” he said in an interview.
“Astronauts will need the same advanced capabilities that we have on Earth in space to support their activities and run their applications.
“Whether that is enabling voice and video communications capabilities, telemetry and biometric data exchange, sensing applications, or controlling robotics.”
The Moon – our closest neighbour explained
Here’s what you need to know…
- The Moon is a natural satellite – a space-faring body that orbits a planet
- It’s Earth’s only natural satellite, and is the fifth biggest in the Solar System
- The Moon measures 2,158 miles across, roughly 0.27 times the diameter of Earth
- Temperatures on the Moon vary wildly. Nasa explains: “Temperatures near the Moon’s equator can spike to 250°F (121°C) in daylight, then plummet after nightfall to -208°F (-133°C). In deep craters near the Moon’s poles, permanent shadows keep the surface even colder — NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has measured temperatures lower than -410°F (-246°C).”
- Experts assumed the Moon was another planet, until Nicolaus Copernicus outlined his theory about our Solar System in 1543
- It was eventually assigned to a “class” after Galileo discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter in 1610
- The Moon is believed to have formed around 4.51billion years ago
- The strength of its gravitational field is about a sixth of Earth’s gravity
- Earth and the Moon have “synchronous rotation”, which means we always see the same side of the Moon – hence the phrase “dark side of the Moon”
- The Moon’s surface is actually dark, but appears bright in the sky due to its reflective ground
- During a solar eclipse, the Moon covers the Sun almost completely. Both objects appear a similar size in the sky because the Sun is both 400 times larger and farther
- The first spacecraft to reach the Moon was in 1959, as part of the Soviet Union’s Lunar program
- The first manned orbital mission was Nasa’s Apollo 8 in 1968
- And the first manned lunar landing was in 1969, as part of the Apollo 11 mission
