Nokia has won a $ 14.1 million NASA contract to deploy the first cellular network on the Moon and lay the foundation for an enduring human presence, both entities report.
The space agency will try to get astronauts to the Moon again by 2024, as part of its Artemis program. Before a human step on the lunar surface again, Nokia will install a 4G LTE network by the end of 2022 , according to a statement from the Finnish company .
Nokia Technologies will support critical communication capabilities in various data transmission applications, including vital command and control functions, remote control of lunar rovers, real-time navigation, and high-definition video streaming.
To accomplish this task, the company will partner with Intuitive Machines to integrate its equipment into the lunar landing module, manufactured by the American company. The network will self-configure after landing.
The lunar network equipment has been specifically designed to withstand the harsh conditions of launch and moon landing and operate in the extreme conditions of space.
