Miles Jamison
Nokia and Intuitive Machines have completed the final integration of the Nokia Lunar Surface Communication System, or LSCS, into Athena, the lander for the IM-2 mission. One of the objectives of the mission, which is targeting the south pole region of the moon as its destination and is scheduled to launch by late February at the soonest, is to deploy and demonstrate the viability of a cellular network for lunar exploration, Nokia said Tuesday.
The LSCS “network in a box” will deliver the cellular capability, which is similar to 4G/LTE technology used on Earth but modified by Nokia Bell Labs to meet lunar requirements. The capability will work to enable the functionalities of a pair of vehicles accompanying the mission, namely the Micro-Nova Hopper and the Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform, or MAPP, rover.
Developed by Intuitive Machines, the Micro-Nova Hopper will descend into lunar craters to look for indications of ice deposits using new sensor instruments. The vehicle will connect to the Nokia cellular network to transmit its readings to the Athena lander, which will then relay the data to Earth.
For its part, the MAPP rover, developed by Lunar Outpost, will map the lunar surface and collect imagery and data as it explores the south pole region. The rover will also establish a connection to the Nokia network.
Commenting on the upcoming mission, Thierry Klein, president of Bell Labs Solutions Research at Nokia, said, “We 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.”
For his part, Steve Altemus, CEO of Intuitive Machines, said: “We believe delivering Nokia’s 4G/LTE system to the lunar surface is a transformative moment in the commercialization of space and the maturity of the lunar economy.”
