NASA has ambitious plans to bring Wi-Fi to the moon in an effort to live broadcast future lunar missions and improve communications, according to BBC.
Nokia’s plans for lunar Wi-Fi
Back in 2023, it was announced that Nokia would be launching 4G to the moon with the help of SpaceX and Intuitive Machines, according to CNBC. The launch would send to space an antenna-equipped base station, a lunar lander and a sun-powered rover.
Nokia shared how it is working on making a data network that would be able to handle the following challenges on the moon:
- Extreme environmental conditions such as temperature and lunar dust.
- Making sure all the network equipment reaches the moon undamaged.
- There is a limitation on the size and weight of the lunar lander.
- Energy consumption must be at a minimum due to it being solar- and battery-powered.
- The equipment must be able to fix itself if any problems arise.
- A stable and reliable Wi-Fi network will be required to complete missions.
CNBC reported that Nokia’s Wi-Fi network would be used in NASA’s future Artemis missions, while Nokia is hoping to find lunar ice at the moon’s poles. According to BBC, NASA had funded Nokia Bell Labs, with the objective to create a 4G link from a lunar lander to a rover.
NASA’s Artemis missions
The NASA Artemis Missions hope to bring people to the moon and, along with it, lunar Wi-Fi. According to Artemis’s official website, its goal is to build a lunar base camp on the moon’s surface and have a spaceship constantly orbiting, known as the Gateway, that will help transition astronauts to the surface.
These missions will host the first woman on the moon, along with the first person of color, according to Artemis.
The Artemis missions are currently split up into three missions, as explained by NASA.
- Artemis I: An unmanned flight test for the Space Launch System and the Orion spacecraft, launched in 2022.
- Artemis II: This flight test will include a crew to test the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft.
- Artemis III: Still in the planning process, this mission will see the first people to land on the moon again.
How lunar Wi-Fi will be used
Once Wi-Fi networks are working on the moon, they will primarily be used as a main communication method for astronauts on the moon (to communicate with other astronauts or rovers) and send data back to Earth, according to BBC.
Matt Cosby, a chief technology officer from the U.K.’s Goonhilly Earth Station, told BBC, “We will expect 4K resolution from the Moon almost in real time coming from the landing. It’s going to be up to 500 megabits of data coming back so the images are going to be 10 times better.”
BBC also shares that the Artemis III mission will most likely launch in 2026. But the Artemis program is at least six years behind schedule and has already spent over its original budget, according to National Geographic.