4G comes to the moon | DE24 News

In recent years there has been talk of installing an LTE network on the moon. Thanks to a contract between NASA and Nokia, 4G Moon connectivity is now closer to reality.

4G moon connectivity

NASA has announced that it will give Nokia $ 14.1 million (therefore $ 20 million in Australian dollars) to build a 4G LTE network that works on the moon. The purpose of the network is to provide more reliable communication between astronauts on the moon.

This funding is just a small part of Project Artemis, NASA’s attempt to land $ 370 million on the moon in 2024.

“With funding from NASA, Nokia will examine how terrestrial technology can be modified for the lunar environment to support reliable, high-rate communications,” said James Reuter, NASA associate administrator United Press International.

“The system would also extend to spacecraft,” said Reuter. “With NASA funding, Nokia will study how terrestrial technology can be modified for the lunar environment to support reliable, high-rate communications.”

The plans for 4G are also interesting, although the start is in four years. Maybe it will pan to 5G?

It’s not the first time

We heard about a 4G lunar network back in 2017. The German company PTScientists planned the first privately financed trip to the moon with a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Part of the goal of this trip was to examine an Apollo 17 rover that was left on the moon in 1972.

At the time, Nokia and Vodafone announced a merger to support the transmission of rover video over an LTE network.

“The 4G network will enable the Audi lunar quattro rovers to communicate and transmit scientific data and HD videos while they are on NASA’s Apollo 17 lunar vehicle, which was used by the last astronauts to walk on the moon approach carefully and examine it, “Nokia said on the time.

In the end, that trip never happened, but the dream of 4G on the moon clearly did not die. When NASA returns to the moon, it will appear that it will bring mobile connectivity with it.