NASA News: Nokia Tests Lunar 4G LTE Prototype

NASA and Nokia are bringing 4G to the moon as part of the space agency's goal of establishing a sustainable presence on the lunar surface.

Earlier this month, it was announced that Nokia Bell Labs was selected by NASA to build a lunar communications network based on cellular 4G "Long Term Evolution" (LTE) technology. The network will have significant communication applications, such as live video streaming and remote control of rovers, lunar bases and associated infrastructure.

The European Space Agency (ESA) said on its website that Nokia has already built an "ultra-compact, low-power, space-hardened LTE base station" that would serve as a prototype for the network.

Nokia tested the prototype compact base station in simulated lunar conditions via the ESA and the Valencia Space Consortium's High Power Radio Frequency Laboratory. And the tests have yielded positive results.

David Raboso, a manager at the lab, explained that they tested whether the prototype can withstand a phenomenon called "multipactor," where "strong radio frequency energy in vacuum can generate an avalanche of secondary electron emissions from the RF device itself, resulting in damage or even total breakdown of the system."

“We used radioactive strontium-90 sources and ultraviolet lamps to ‘seed’ low-energy electrons while testing operations of the base station across three different temperature ranges, covering the qualification level and operational requirements," he said of the testing process.

According to Raboso, tests showed that the design of the LTE base station allowed it to resist the multipactor effect. He said the results should give NASA and Nokia "confidence" that it will work on the moon and in space.

A lander developed by Intuitive Machines will send the LTE base station built by Nokia to the moon in late 2022.

As the launch date of the first Artemis program mission approaches, several preparations have to be made by NASA, and the 4G communications system is just the tip of the iceberg. The main aim of the space agency's program is to establish sustainable exploration by the end of the decade.

The first mission, called Artemis I, is expected to launch next year without astronauts, while Artemis II will fly with crew in 2023.

In 2024, Artemis III will see NASA sending the first woman and the next man to the lunar surface. This would be the first time since the last Apollo lunar mission in 1972 that the space agency will land humans on the moon.