NASA has teamed up with Nokia Bell Labs to develop a 4G cellular network for the Moon. Intuitive Machines is set to launch the 4G base station, mainly fabricated using off-the-shelf commercial components, on their lander.
After being successfully deployed, the base station will connect the lander’s radio equipment to two rovers equipped to search for ice. The images captured will be transmitted back to the lander and then Earth in near real-time over 4G. Why is this important? Lunar ice could possibly be used to make breathable oxygen, vital for astronauts making a rest stop at the Moon on their way to Mars.
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A future lunar economy will critically depend on communication technologies to collect and analyze data, share information, and maintain and control operations. This includes sustaining a semi-permanent or permanent human presence on the Moon, as well as automated robotic operations for transportation, resource mining, mineral processing and scientific data collection,” said Thierry Klein, president of Bell Labs Solutions Research to CNN.
