NASA is putting a 4G network on the moon in order to reach its 2028 goal to build a lunar base and eventually sustain a human presence on the moon.
NASA awarded US$14.1 million project to Nokia’s Bell Labs partnering with spaceflight engineering company Intuitive Machines to deploy the 4G-LTE network on the moon.
Bell Labs said astronauts will use its wireless network for data transmission, controlling of lunar rovers, real-time navigation over lunar geography, and streaming of high-definition video. The 4G network on Earth is supported by giant cell towers with enormous power generators and radios
The 4G-LTE network will eventually transition to 5G. It will be “the first LTE/4G communications system in space,” according to NASA’s announcement.