NASA Chooses Nokia For Its First Ever 4G Mobile Network on the Moon For Astronauts

Recently, Nokia, telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics company, said that they have been chosen by NASA, the American space agency, to build the first-ever mobile network on the moon.  

The Finnish technology company said, “its Nokia Bell Labs division will build the lunar communications system and NASA will put the equipment on a lunar lander.”   

The spacecraft along with the equipment is expected to reach the moon’s surface late in 2022.  

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The company’s announcement comes as NASA continues with its preparations to send astronauts to the moon by 2024.   

The Artemis program by NASA is aiming to establish a long-term human presence on the moon. This will help them “warm-up” the place for future missions to the planet Mars.  

In earlier October, NASA has announced that it had awarded nearly $370 million to 14 companies for necessary technology for its moon-landing program.   

The funds will support studies of both cryogenic fluid management and other technology related to energy storage on the surface of the moon.  

The space agency has signed a deal for the testing and development of improved lunar landing systems. They are also seeking private companies to mine resources on the moon.  

The agreement with Nokia was included in NASA’s latest awards to private companies. NASA will pay $14.1 million to Nokia for building the mobile network.  

The company said that they are aiming to provide astronauts with critical communication equipment including remote control of lunar vehicles, real-time navigation activities, high-quality video streaming, and other equipment.  

All of them are designed to survive difficult launches, extreme conditions in space, and lunar landings.  

The company has decided to utilize a 4G network instead of 5G as 4G has been proven its reliability in the past few years.