The company intends for the network to support wireless operation
of lunar rovers and navigation, as well as streaming video.
NASA has awarded
Nokia of the US $14.1 million to deploy a 4G cellular network on the moon.
The grant is part of $370 million worth of contracts signed under NASA's
"Tipping Point" selections, meant to advance research and development
for space exploration.
"The system
could support lunar surface communications at greater distances, increased
speeds and provide more reliability than current standards," NASA
noted in its contract award announcement.
According to
United Press International, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine in a live
broadcast said that the space agency must quickly develop new technologies for
living and working on the moon if it wants to realise its goal to have
astronauts working at a lunar base by 2028.
"We need
power systems that can last a long time on the surface of the moon, and we need
habitation capability on the surface," Bridenstine said.
Nokia's
research arm, Bell Labs, provided more details in a Twitter thread. The company
intends for the network to support wireless operation of lunar rovers and
navigation, as well as streaming video.
"Working with
our partners at @Int_Machines, this groundbreaking network will be the critical
communications fabric for data transmission applications, including the control
of lunar rovers, real-time navigation over lunar geography and streaming of
high definition video," Bell Labs said in a tweet.
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