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LONDON – Nokia says NASA has turned to it to build the first cellular communications network on the Moon.
The Finnish telecommunications equipment maker said on Monday that its Nokia Bell Labs division will build a 4G communications system to be deployed on a lunar lander to the moon’s surface by the end of 2022.
NASA is awarding $ 370 million to 14 companies to provide technology for the Artemis moon landing program. The goal of the program is to establish a long-term human presence on the moon as a warm-up for missions to Mars.
Nokia released more details of its involvement after an announcement last week from NASA, which said it was giving the company’s US unit $ 14.1 million for the network. The US space agency is also funding other innovations in cryogenic fluid management, lunar surface innovation, and descent and landing capabilities.
Nokia’s network will provide critical communications capabilities for tasks astronauts will need to perform, such as remote control of lunar rovers, real-time navigation and high-definition video streaming, the company said.
The kit includes a base station, antennas and software and is designed to withstand harsh moon landings and launches and extreme conditions in space.
Nokia has partnered with the US company Intuitive Machines, which NASA chose to build a small “hopper lander” that can access lunar craters and perform high-resolution studies of the lunar surface at close range.
“Reliable, robust and high-capacity communications networks will be key to supporting a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface,” said Nokia CTO Marcus Weldon.
www.nasa.gov
www.nokia.com
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