Cellular network set for upcoming IM-2 Moon mission
NewsJanuary 07, 2025
MURRAY HILL, N.J. Communications-technology provider Nokia announced the final integration of Nokia’s Lunar Surface Communication System (LSCS) into the lander of the upcoming IM-2 mission, during which Nokia and collaboration partner Intuitive machines intend to deploy the first cellular network on the moon.
The lander -- codenamed "Athena" -- and the LSCS will voyage to the lunar south pole region where the two lunar mobility vehicles, the Intuitive Machines Micro-Nova Hopper drone and Lunar Outpost’s Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) rover, will immediately use the several Nokia LSCS device modules to establish connections to the network on Athena.
The LSCS uses the same 4G/LTE cellular technology used by billions of devices on Earth, although Nokia Bell Labs officials note that the company 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.
The IM-2 is set to be carried in late February 2025 by Intuitive Machines for NASA's CLPS [Commercial Lunar Payload Services] program, using a Nova-C lunar lander.
