From “one small step for man” to “a giant leap for telecommunications”. The lunar network is no longer a figment of the imagination, but an imminent reality. Nokia is about to write a new chapter in space exploration (and its long and amazing story), bringing the first cellular network to the Moon.
And no, it's not a joke: we could actually make a call from our satellite soon. When we set foot on it again, that is.
The mission that lights the signal
By the end of the month, Intuitive machines (the private company that sent the first private lander to the Moon) will launch from Kennedy Space Center NASA a mission that will make history. Not only for the exploration of the lunar south pole in search of ice, but because it will bring with it something never seen before in space: a fully functional 4G cellular network.
Point-to-point radio communications, requiring a direct line of sight between antennas, have been the mainstay of space communications since the program Apollo. But times change: with the program Artemis NASA plans to return astronauts to the Moon in 2028 and provide a permanent habitat in the 30s, something more robust is needed.
The Moon Network in a Box
Thierry Klein, President of Nokia Bell Labs Solutions Research, explains that his team had to completely redesign the components to withstand the extreme conditions of space. The result? A “network in a box” that contains everything needed for a cellular network, except the antenna and the power source. It’s like having a miniature cell phone tower, powered by solar panels.
Obviously, the lunar network is not preparing for a “walk in the park”, on the contrary: its next use already raises some concerns. For example, LTE frequencies partially overlap with those reserved for radio astronomy. Chris DePree, from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, fears interference with telescopic observations. There is also a regulatory issue: Nokia has received a specific exemption for this mission, but for a permanent installation it will have to use different frequencies.
Beyond the first step
It fascinates me to think that the technology we use every day on Earth is about to make its debut on the Moon. Small ensures that the network will be compatible with terrestrial 4G or 5G standards. Theoretically, if you took your smartphone to the Moon (and it survived the trip), it could connect to the network. All you need is a “lunar” SIM card, I guess.
The first phase of the lunar network will last only a few days, the time it takes for the lunar night to reach the vehicles. But Nokia has more ambitious plans: a 4G or 5G network that covers the entire Artemis habitat and its surroundings. They are even working on integrating cellular communications in the space suits of Axiom.
It's funny to think that while we're still complaining about dead zones on Earth, we're already planning a cellular network on the Moon. But maybe that's the beauty of space exploration: it always pushes us to look beyond, to imagine solutions for problems that don't exist yet.
And who knows, maybe one day we'll actually be able to post a selfie with the hashtag #bluemoon, or #ciaokubrick, or whatever you like.
