Reports confirm that NASA is aiming to establish a major presence on the moon through its 2028 goal for building a lunar base, with 4G network being a part of that ambition. The U.S. space agency wants to ensure a sustainable environment for human occupation and has awarded US$370 million worth contracts to several companies.
These contracts cover various innovations like robotics, a safer landing, power generation, cryogenic freezing and even a 4G network. The agency believes 4G will be able to deliver even more reliable communication over longer-distance as compared to the existing radio standards on moon. This 4G network would gradually be upgraded to 5G.
Of the numerous firms contracted, Nokia’s Bell Labs was awarded US$14.1 million. It will team up with Intuitive Machines, the spaceflight engineering company, for developing the 4G-LTE network to be deployed on the lunar base.
Apparently, the cellular network on the moon will be designed specially to endure the challenges of the lunar surface, including radiation, the extreme temperature and the vacuum in space. It will be robust for staying functional at the time of lunar launches and landings, despite the considerable vibrations created by rockets on the surface.
According to Bell Labs, the astronauts can use the wireless networks for transmitting data, to control lunar rovers, real-time navigation across the moon’s geography and also to stream high-definition videos. This would allow people on Earth enjoy a better visualization of the lunar surface.
On Earth, the 4G network is supported by the cell towers that require large power generators and radios to deliver connectivity over large distances. Bell Labs has supposedly helped develop a small cell technology which, although limited in range, consumes much less power and makes it easy to pack and transport on a spaceship. Today, this small cell technology has been deployed worldwide for supporting 5G networks.
Source Credits: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/18/tech/4g-network-moon-trnd/index.html