In late 2023, Nokia will launch a 4G mobile network on the moon.
To enhance lunar exploration, Nokia is getting ready to launch a 4G mobile network on the moon. An executive at Nokia stated that the terrestrial networks would assist in addressing the communication requirements for upcoming space missions.
Ankush Pandey
According to information provided by Nokia, the company is getting ready to launch a 4G mobile network on the moon. According to CNBC, the smartphone manufacturer intends to launch the network toward the end of 2023 in order to enhance lunar discoveries and provide astronauts currently on a mission with relief.
The network, which will be powered by an antenna-equipped base station housed in a Nova-C lunar lander, is expected to be launched by the tech company in the coming months on a SpaceX rocket. A rover powered by the sun will also go with it. According to the cited source, the lander and rover will establish an LTE connection. During Nasa's upcoming Artemis 1 mission, which will send human astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972, the most recent 4G network will be utilized.
Nokia has already made it clear that it will launch a lunar network at MWC 2023. This will, according to the company, "provide critical communication capabilities for many different data transmission applications, including vital command and control functions, remote control of lunar rovers, real-time navigation, and streaming of high definition video," as it were.
According to the cited source, a Nokia executive stated that terrestrial networks would assist in addressing the communication requirements for subsequent space missions. When the 4G network is launched, astronauts will be able to communicate with coworkers more easily when they are in mission control. According to Nokia, its network would also enable remote control of the rover, stream real-time video, and transmit telemetry data to Earth.
If all goes according to plan, Nokia will launch the network later this year. According to Moor Insights & Strategy principal analyst Anshel Sag, "if the hardware is ready and validated as it seems to be, there is a good chance they could launch in 2023 as long as their launch partner of choice does not have any setbacks or delays."
Nokia is also said to want to use its lunar network to find ice on the moon, according to reports. Some recent internal missions to the moon have revealed that some ice remnants have been discovered in craters around the poles, despite reports that the moon's surface is mostly dry. But why are they so crucial? This ice water is said to be drinkable and can also be turned into hydrogen and oxygen to power rockets. Additionally, this ice water can be separated, facilitating astronaut oxygen supply.
