Nokia (NYSE:NOK) and Intuitive Machines Inc (NASDAQ:LUNR) said they had made a major step towards deploying and testing the first cellular telecoms network on the Moon.
As part of the IM-2 mission, Nokia’s lunar surface communication system (LSCS), which uses the same 4G/LTE cellular technology as many smartphones do on Earth, has been integrated into Intuitive's Athena lunar lander vehicle.
Carrying the LSCS, once it has blasted off from Earth – expected on 27 February – Athena will voyage to the lunar south pole region.
Upon landing on the Moon, two device modules installed in two lunar mobility vehicles, Intuitive Machines’ Micro-Nova Hopper and Lunar Outpost’s Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) rover are designed to deploy on the lunar surface where they should be able to use the Nokia modules to establish connections to the network on Athena.
The cellular network is designed to provide connectivity between the lander and vehicles, carrying high-definition video streaming, command-and-control communications and telemetry data, while Intuitive said it also expects to relay data back to Earth.
Another of the goals of the mission will be for the Micro-Nova Hopper, which was built in partnership with NASA’s space technology mission directorate and nicknamed Grace, to test new sensor instruments that could help identify and map precious resources on the Moon, including water ice.
Grace is designed to descend into permanently shadowed lunar craters, where Intuitive said it may be able to use newly designed sensors to scan for large concentrations of hydrogen, which are indicative of ice deposits.
It is intended that the MAPP rover will also make a journey of several days exploring the Moon's south pole region, mapping the lunar surface while collecting stereo imagery and vital environmental data.
Thierry E. Klein, president of Nokia's Bell Labs research arm, said: “We intend to prove that cellular technologies can provide the reliable, high-capacity and efficient connectivity needed for future crewed and uncrewed missions to the Moon and eventually Mars.
"Cellular technology has irrevocably transformed the way we communicate on Earth. There’s no reason it can’t do the same for communications on other worlds."
The companies said the network should be well protected to safely make the 239,000-mile journey to the Moon, including from the G-forces and bumps involved in take-off and landing, as well as operating on the lunar surface.
Mounting points for the LSCS are thermally isolated to keep the network insulated from the extremely low temperatures of deep space, Intuitive Machines said, adding that Athena's integrated thermal protection system will expel heat when the network is operating, and it will supply heat to protect the network when it is idle.
Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus said delivering the 4G/LTE system to the lunar surface will be "a transformative moment in the commercialization of space and the maturity of the lunar economy".
"We’re taking thoughtful steps to achieve sustainability. Whether it’s Nokia connecting surface assets, or Intuitive Machines’ ability to transmit that data back to Earth and establish lunar data relay satellites, these innovations are mainstay capabilities we believe will define the Artemis generation, and they were initiated through NASA leadership," he said.