Nokia And NASA Plan To Deploy 4G Network On The Moon
The idea of sending text messages from the Moon or streaming data from deep space may soon move from science fiction to reality, as NASA and Nokia prepare to install a cellular network on the lunar surface.
Under a joint initiative, the two organisations are working to deploy a basic 4G communications system on the Moon, a move aimed at supporting long-term human and robotic exploration beyond Earth. The network is expected to launch aboard a SpaceX rocket later this year, with final scheduling still to be confirmed.
Once delivered to the Moon’s south pole, the system will be set up by a robotic lander and operated remotely from Earth. The equipment must function without human technicians and survive extreme lunar conditions, including intense radiation and dramatic temperature swings.
NASA officials say the project represents a major technical challenge. According to Walt Engelund, a senior official at NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, the system must meet strict size, weight and power requirements while remaining reliable in one of the harshest environments known.
The network is being developed by Nokia’s Bell Labs using adapted commercial components. It will be installed on a lander built by US-based company Intuitive Machines and will connect the lander to two mobile vehicles tasked with searching for ice on the Moon’s surface.
One of the vehicles, a rover developed by Lunar Outpost, will explore the Shackleton Connecting Ridge, while a second craft – the Micro-Nova hopper – will descend into a crater to gather close-range data. Images and information collected by both vehicles will be transmitted back to Earth through the lunar 4G system, potentially marking the first time near real-time cellular data is sent from the Moon.
Scientists believe lunar ice could play a key role in future space missions, as it may be used to produce drinking water, breathable oxygen and even rocket fuel. Such resources could eventually support missions to Mars launched from the Moon.
The project also aligns with NASA’s Artemis programme, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon within this decade. As missions become more complex, the agency says traditional radio communications will no longer be sufficient.
NASA envisions a lunar communications system capable of supporting high-definition video, scientific data transfers and constant contact between astronauts, mission control and even family members on Earth. Engelund described reliable communication as just as essential to future missions as air, water and power.
Beyond exploration, the initiative could lay the foundation for a Moon-based communications network similar to Earth’s internet, allowing future settlers to use personal devices and familiar applications in space.
Nokia’s involvement stems from its selection under NASA’s Tipping Point programme, which supports technologies critical to future missions. Bell Labs received funding in 2020 to develop the system and was later chosen by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to help design a communications framework for what officials describe as a future “lunar economy.”
According to Bell Labs president Thierry Klein, sustained human presence on the Moon will depend heavily on advanced communications, not only for astronauts but also for automated systems handling transport, mining and scientific research.
The technology could also have applications closer to home. Nokia says equipment capable of surviving space could be deployed in some of Earth’s most remote and hostile environments, including polar regions, deserts and offshore facilities.
As preparations continue, the lunar 4G experiment is being viewed as a critical step toward building the infrastructure needed for humanity’s next phase of space exploration – and possibly, one day, life beyond Earth.
