{"id":19920,"date":"2025-01-14T16:28:57","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T15:28:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/?p=19920"},"modified":"2025-01-14T16:28:57","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T15:28:57","slug":"nokias-cellular-network-ready-for-moon-as-intuitive-machines-completes-final-lunar-lander-installation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/?p=19920","title":{"rendered":"Nokia\u2019s cellular network ready for Moon as Intuitive Machines completes final lunar lander installation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nokia intends to prove capabilities of cellular technology for future lunar exploration with the upcoming IM-2 mission<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nokia and Intuitive Machines, Inc. announced the successful final integration of Nokia\u2019s Lunar Surface Communication System (\u201cLSCS\u201d) into the IM-2 mission lander, named Athena. Athena and the LSCS will voyage to the lunar south pole region in the upcoming IM-2 mission, where Nokia and Intuitive Machines intend to deploy the first cellular network on the Moon.
\nAfter months of testing and validation with Nokia Bell Labs, Intuitive Machines engineers installed the LSCS \u201cnetwork in a box\u201d to one of Athena\u2019s upper carbon-composite panels. Multiple precautions were taken during the installation to help ensure that the network will safely make the 239,000-mile journey to the Moon, survive the stresses of take-off and landing, and operate optimally on the lunar surface. Each of the 14 mounting points is thermally isolated to keep the network insulated from the extremely low temperatures of deep space. Intuitive Machines also integrated the network into Athena\u2019s Thermal Protection System. This system will expel heat when the network is operating, and it will supply heat to protect the network when it is idle.
\nTwo device modules make up additional components of Nokia\u2019s LSCS, and they have been installed in two lunar mobility vehicles: Intuitive Machines\u2019 Micro-Nova Hopper and Lunar Outpost\u2019s Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) rover. Upon landing on the Moon, the two vehicles are designed to deploy on the lunar surface where they would immediately use the Nokia device modules to establish connections to the network on Athena.
\nThe LSCS utilizes the same 4G\/LTE cellular technology used by billions of devices on Earth, though Nokia Bell Labs reconceptualized the system to meet the unique requirements of a lunar mission. The network is engineered to handle surface connectivity between the lander and vehicles, carrying high-definition video streaming, command-and-control communications and telemetry data. Intuitive Machines expects to relay data from the LSCS back to Earth using its direct-to-Earth data transmission service.
\nThierry E. Klein, President of Bell Labs Solutions Research at Nokia, said: \u201cWe 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\u2019s no reason it can\u2019t do the same for communications on other worlds.\u201d
\nNokia Bell Labs developed the LSCS and Intuitive Machines created the Micro-Nova Hopper in partnership with NASA\u2019s Space Technology Mission Directorate via its Tipping Point initiative, which funds industry-developed space technologies that can foster the development of commercial space capabilities and benefit future NASA missions. One of the goals of Intuitive Machines\u2019 second lunar mission will be to use the Micro-Nova Hopper and the LSCS to test new sensor instruments that could help identify and map precious resources on the Moon, like water ice. The Micro-Nova Hopper, named Grace, is designed to descend into permanently shadowed lunar craters. There it may use these new sensors to scan for large concentrations of hydrogen, which are indicative of ice deposits. All data collected by the Micro-Nova would then be transmitted over the Nokia network to Athena, where it would be relayed back to Earth.
\nThe Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) rover was developed by Lunar Outpost. Once on the lunar surface, the MAPP rover will exit from a protective enclosure on Athena, extend its antennas, and establish a connection to Nokia\u2019s cellular network on Athena. The MAPP rover will then begin a multi-day journey exploring the Moon’s south pole region, mapping the lunar surface while collecting stereo imagery and vital environmental data along the way.
\nSteve Altemus, CEO of Intuitive Machines, said: \u201cWe believe delivering Nokia\u2019s 4G\/LTE system to the lunar surface is a transformative moment in the commercialization of space and the maturity of the lunar economy. We\u2019re taking thoughtful steps to achieve sustainability. Whether it\u2019s Nokia connecting surface assets, or Intuitive Machines\u2019 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Launch of Intuitive Machines\u2019 Athena lander is targeted for no earlier than late February from NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center.<\/p>\n

Above, image credited to Intuitive Machines<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nokia intends to prove capabilities of cellular technology for future lunar exploration with the upcoming IM-2 mission Nokia and Intuitive Machines, Inc. announced the successful final integration of Nokia\u2019s Lunar Surface Communication System (\u201cLSCS\u201d) into the IM-2 mission lander, named Athena. Athena and the LSCS will voyage to the lunar south pole region in the … <\/p>\n

Continue reading \u00abNokia\u2019s cellular network ready for Moon as Intuitive Machines completes final lunar lander installation\u00bb<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19921,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[50],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19920"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19920"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19922,"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19920\/revisions\/19922"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}