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With competition among telecom providers on Earth as fierce as ever, equipment maker Nokia has announced its expansion into a new market, winning a deal to install the first cellular network on the Moon.
The Finnish equipment maker said it was selected by NASA to deploy an “ultra-compact, low-power, space-enhanced” 4G wireless network on the lunar surface as part of the US space agency’s plan to establish a presence. long-term human. on the moon by 2030.
The $ 14.1 million contract, awarded to Nokia’s US subsidiary, is part of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to send the first woman, and the next man, to the moon by 2024.
The astronauts will begin detailed experiments and explorations that the agency hopes will help them develop their first human mission to Mars.
Nokia’s network equipment will be remotely installed on the moon’s surface using a lunar hopper built by Intuitive Machines in late 2022, Nokia said.
“The network will self-configure upon deployment,” the firm said in a statement, adding that wireless technology will enable “vital command and control functions, remote control of lunar vehicles, real-time navigation and high-definition video transmission. “
The 4G equipment can be upgraded to a super fast 5G network in the future, Nokia said.
In total, NASA announced last week that it would distribute $ 370 million to 14 companies to supply “Tipping Point” technologies for its mission, including robotics and new methods to collect the resources necessary to live on the moon, such as oxygen and sources. of energy.
Most of the funding went to companies researching cryogenic propellants, freezing liquids used to power spacecraft.
Among them, Elon Musk’s SpaceX received $ 53.2 million for a demonstration of the transfer of 10 metric tons of liquid oxygen between tanks in a space vehicle, NASA said.
