Finland’s Nokia said it has been selected by NASA to build the first cellular network on the moon.

“Nokia Bell Labs’ pioneering innovations will be used to build and deploy the first ultra-compact, low-power, space-hardened, end-to-end LTE solution on the lunar surface in late 2022,” said the company.

“Nokia is partnering with Intuitive Machines for this mission to integrate this groundbreaking network into their lunar lander and deliver it to the lunar surface.

“The network will self-configure upon deployment and establish the first LTE communications system on the Moon.  

“The network will provide critical communication capabilities for many different data transmission applications, including vital command and control functions, remote control of lunar rovers, real-time navigation and streaming of high definition video.

“These communication applications are all vital to long-term human presence on the lunar surface. 

“Nokia’s LTE network – the precursor to 5G – is ideally suited for providing wireless connectivity for any activity that astronauts need to carry out, enabling voice and video communications capabilities, telemetry and biometric data exchange, and deployment and control of robotic and sensor payloads.”

Marcus Weldon, Chief Technology Officer at Nokia and Nokia Bell Labs President, said: “Reliable, resilient and high-capacity communications networks will be key to supporting sustainable human presence on the lunar surface.

“By building the first high performance wireless network solution on the Moon, Nokia Bell Labs is once again planting the flag for pioneering innovation beyond the conventional limits.”