Nokia Is Building a 4G Cell Network on the Moon and It's Just the Beginning

The first 4G network on the moon could pave the way for future lunar colonies and Mars missions.

by Tibi Puiu
February 19, 2025
Reading Time: 5 mins read
Edited and reviewed by Zoe Gordon

When Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission launches later this month on February 26, it won’t just be another robotic expedition to the moon. Nestled inside the lander, alongside a rover and a hopper, will be a piece of technology that has never left Earth’s orbit: a fully functional 4G cellular network.

This could be a big deal. The network, designed by Nokia Bell Labs, could mark the beginning of a new era in space exploration. Astronauts, rovers, and even future lunar colonists may rely on the same kind of cellular technology that powers billions of smartphones on Earth.

From Apollo to Artemis: A New Era of Lunar Communication
For decades, space missions have relied on point-to-point radio communications. Think of the Apollo missions: a single lander or rover talking to Earth, sending modest amounts of data. “They were based on [ultra high frequency] or [very high frequency] technologies connecting a small number of devices with relatively low data throughput,” Thierry Klein, president of Nokia Bell Labs Solutions Research, told MIT Tech Review.

But the moon is about to get a lot busier. NASA’s Artemis program aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2028 and establish a permanent habitat in the 2030s. With more devices, more data, and more people, the old way of communicating won’t cut it.

More:
https://www.zmescience.com/space/nokia-is-building-a-4g-cell-network-on-the-moon-and-its-just-the-beginning/