Nokia is Putting the First Cellular Network On the Moon (technologyreview.com) 33
An anonymous reader shares a report: Later this month, Intuitive Machines, the private company behind the first commercial lander that touched down on the moon, will launch a second lunar mission from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The plan is to deploy a lander, a rover, and hopper to explore a site near the lunar south pole that could harbor water ice, and to put a communications satellite on lunar orbit. But the mission will also bring something that's never been installed on the moon or anywhere else in space before -- a fully functional 4G cellular network.
Point-to-point radio communications, which need a clear line of sight between transmitting and receiving antennas, have always been a backbone of both surface communications and the link back to Earth, starting with the Apollo program. Using point-to-point radio in space wasn't much of an issue in the past because there never have been that many points to connect. Usually, it was just a single spacecraft, a lander, or a rover talking to Earth. And they didn't need to send much data either. "They were based on [ultra high frequency] or [very high frequency] technologies connecting a small number of devices with relatively low data throughput," says Thierry Klein, president of Nokia Bell Labs Solutions Research, which was contracted by NASA to design a cellular network for the moon back in 2020.
Point-to-point radio communications, which need a clear line of sight between transmitting and receiving antennas, have always been a backbone of both surface communications and the link back to Earth, starting with the Apollo program. Using point-to-point radio in space wasn't much of an issue in the past because there never have been that many points to connect. Usually, it was just a single spacecraft, a lander, or a rover talking to Earth. And they didn't need to send much data either. "They were based on [ultra high frequency] or [very high frequency] technologies connecting a small number of devices with relatively low data throughput," says Thierry Klein, president of Nokia Bell Labs Solutions Research, which was contracted by NASA to design a cellular network for the moon back in 2020.
"Its one small step for man... (Score:4, Funny)
... and hey, I've just posted it to my instagram feed guys!"
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roaming fees (Score:5, Funny)
each text in or out $0.50
data $15 per MB
voice starting at $2 per min
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Standard Plan (Score:2)
Great (Score:2)
Now future people will be able to doomscroll on the Moon and not bother look where they're walking into a crater.
Re:Atrocity!! (Score:5, Funny)
Nokia is Putting the First Cellular Network On the Moon
Has Trump already whined about what an atrocity and how unfair to America that is?
He'll be fine as soon as the world recognizes the Sea of Tranquility as the Sea of America.
Obsolete Name (Score:2)
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Well to be fair if they add a mobile network to it "Tranquility" really won't be an appropriate name any more will it?
Sea of Doomscrolling?
Yet here in Indiana I still can't get 4G (Score:2)
Subject says it all.
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I spent a few weeks there back in the 90's. Good to see nothing has changed. Now put the buggy whip down and go post your letter. The Pony Express rider will be along shortly. ;-)
I think we can. (Score:2)
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Re: I think we can. (Score:4, Insightful)
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" I think that the Moon can be a weigh station to Mars. "
Presumably so that space patrolmen can check that interplanetary craft aren't overloaded.
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No Weigh! (Score:2)
I think that the Moon can be a weigh station to Mars.
It's going to be a pretty crappy weigh station for Mars given that the moon's gravity is about a half of Mars' and a sixth of Earth's. I suspect it will function quite well as a waystation though with low gravity and possible water-ice to make rocket fuel with.
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How is this _cellular_ ? (Score:2, Interesting)
For a network to be cellular it need "cells". After reading the article I can't figure out what is communicating to what, how and why would this be different than "line of sight" radios. Maybe they do use 4G standards for radio modulation and encoding but cellular this is not.
Re: How is this _cellular_ ? (Score:1)
VPN latency is gonna be a bitch.
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And what's worse, the UHF bands (could be much higher in frequency, too) won't work more than line-of-sight + maybe 15deg over the horizon.
This means cell towers on the moon, and/or orbiting relay stations (expensive, unlikely to happen). Their height, therefore, requires masts, and cables, and with solar, a steady power source to feed all this.
These signals have a direct path to Earth, where whatever band they use can be monitored, even deciphered with the right equipment, by anyone with the equipment. Yes
That is all well and good ... (Score:1)
but will ET be able to phone home?
I wonder (Score:2)
What would be the lunar equivalent of geostationary?
cool idea... (Score:1)