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reThe moon is so far a single cell phone hole. But it shouldn’t stay that way for much longer. Our cratered neighbor in space will soon have Earth technology in place. It’s not the latest high-tech version, but at least a proven one. The Finnish network operator Nokia has been selected by the US space agency Nasa to build the first LTE radio network on the terrestrial satellite. The entire surface is not likely to have reception. According to Nokia, it is primarily about paving the way for a “sustainable” human presence on the moon. This is one of the objectives of the Nasa Artemis project. This space program, promoted by the space agency and the Trump administration, aims to create a permanent US presence on the Moon by 2028. Such an arrangement should allow visits there at any time. And communication is a crucial component, Nokia emphasizes.
For transportation, the Scandinavians are working with Texan specialist Intuitive Machines, who developed a lunar landing device. The radio network will be integrated into it and brought to the surface. There the first LTE communication system will be built and established on the Moon. The end of the year 2022 is named as the date. In 2024, Americans want to send people to the moon again for the first time since the Apollo program. LTE aka 4G is the predecessor to the more modern 5G radio standard, which is currently being built around the world. Nokia emphasizes that LTE is ideal for all radio activities around 380,000 kilometers from Earth. Astronauts should not only be able to make phone calls on the moon, but also exchange video recordings and large amounts of data. Remote control of lunar vehicles and real-time navigation are cited as application examples. The extremely compact product solution was specially developed to perform in extreme space conditions.
The Vodafone example shows that such lofty plans don’t always come true. In 2018, the mobile communications company proudly announced that the satellite would now get an LTE network with its help: “50 years after NASA’s first astronauts set foot on the moon.” However, nothing came out of the “Mission to the Moon” of the German company PT-Scientists, so the moon is still awaiting its first cellular network and the elimination of the abundant dead spots.
