Nokia, in partnership with Intuition Machines, recently achieved a significant milestone by deploying a cellular network on the moon for the first time as part of the IM-2 mission. The Lunar Surface Communications System (LSCS), developed by Nokia Bell Labs, was successfully activated on board the Athena landing module and demonstrated its capability by transferring data to Earth and passing key tests. This achievement marks a crucial step towards establishing a sustainable communication infrastructure for future lunar missions.
The IM-2 mission, under the NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, received funding for Nokia’s participation through the Tipping Point initiative. Despite the challenges posed by limited energy resources, the LSCS system was able to become operational within 25 minutes of deployment, promptly responding to commands from the ground control center in California and maintaining a stable connection throughout.
All essential components of the network, including the base station, radio equipment, and core network, performed flawlessly during the tests. However, an initial attempt to establish a cellular connection on the moon was hindered by the power loss of the Micro Nova Hopper module, which faced extreme temperature conditions following the landing.
Nokia emphasized the resilience of its technology in adverse environments and expressed its commitment to further enhancing communication solutions for upcoming space missions, including those to the Moon and Mars.
The Athena landing module successfully touched down on the lunar surface earlier in March, marking the second private company mission in a month. Prior to this achievement, on March 2, the Selene Blue spacecraft of Ghost Mission 1 by Firefly Aerospace also landed on the Moon, illustrating the growing interest and capabilities in lunar exploration.