NASA has contracted with Nokia to build the first mobile communications network on the surface of the Moon.
According to Arabiyanet, the Finnish telecommunications equipment manufacturer added on Monday that its Nokia Bell Labs division will build a 4G communications system, to be published on Moon lander in late 2022.
NASA has provided $ 370 million to 14 companies, including providing technology for the Artemis lunar landing program. The program aims to establish a long-term human presence on the moon as a warm-up for missions to Mars.
Nokia has released more details about its participation after the announcement last week by NASA, which said it would pay the US company's unit $ 14.1 million to the network. The US Space Agency is also funding other innovations in cryogenic fluid management, innovation on the lunar surface, and the ability to descend and land.
the company said that the Nokia network will provide important communications capabilities for tasks that astronauts will need to do such as remote control of lunar vehicles, real-time navigation and HD video streaming. .
The equipment includes the base station, antennas and software and are designed to withstand the harsh launches, lunar landings and extreme conditions in space.
Nokia is partnering with the American company, Intuitive Machines, chosen by NASA to build a small landing hopper that can reach the lunar craters and conduct high-resolution surveys of the moon's surface over a short distance.
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Nokia's Chief Technology Officer, Marcus Weldon, said: “Reliable, resilient and high-capacity communications networks will be essential to support a sustainable human presence on the moon.
