Nokia selected by NASA to build 4G LTE Mobile Network on the Moon

Nokia has been selected by NASA to build the first cellular network on the moon. NASA aims to return humans to the moon by 2024 and dig in for a long-term presence there under its Artemis programme. The first wireless broadband communications system in space would be built on the lunar surface in late 2022.

About cellular network on the moon:

• The network will configure itself and establish a 4G/LTE communications system on the moon, Nokia said, though the aim would be to eventually switch to 5G. It will partner with a Texas-based private spacecraft design company, Intuitive Machines, to deliver the equipment to the moon on their lunar lander.
• The network will give astronauts voice and video communications capabilities, and allow telemetry and biometric data exchange, as well as the deployment and remote control of lunar rovers and other robotic devices.
• The network will be designed to withstand the extreme conditions of the launch and lunar landing and to operate in space. It will have to be sent to the moon in an extremely compact form to meet the stringent size, weight and power constraints of space payloads.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams: 

• The administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Jim Bridenstine.
• Headquarters of NASA: Washington D.C., United States.
• Chairman of Nokia Corporation: Sari Baldauf.
• Nokia Headquarters: Espoo, Finland.