It’s official, you’re much more likely to get a better signal on the moon than dancing around your room trying to find the sweet spot where you’d get uninterrupted service.
NASA has partnered with Nokia to bring 4G, and eventually 5G, to Earth’s only natural satellite.
That’s right, the moon will probably get 5G before the Ambanis manage to bring it to India.
Nokia Expands Business To The Moon
Nokia’s Bell Labs managed to snag a $14.1 million project to build a 4G-LTE network. The company was selected by NASA to send an “ultra-compact, low-power, space-hardened” 4G network on the moon’s surface.
This setting up of a network on the lunar surface is part of NASA’s endeavour to have increased human presence on a long-term basis by 2030.
The last manned spaceflight to the moon was in 1972. NASA intends to restart interest in the moon.
And just to make sure that you’ll be left even angrier when you don’t get a stable connection here on planet Earth, Nokia also announced that the day the 5G upgrade comes for the moon’s wireless network system is not far.
“We are now building the first-ever cellular communications network on the Moon. Reliable, resilient and high-capacity communications networks will be key to supporting sustainable human presence on the lunar surface. By building the first high-performance wireless network solution on the Moon, Nokia Bell Labs is once again planting the flag for pioneering innovation beyond the conventional limits,” said Marcus Weldon, CTO at Nokia and Nokia Bell Labs President.
The wireless 4G technology will help run important command and control functions, control lunar rovers, help in navigation and stream HD videos.
Due to less interference of trees or buildings, 4G will probably work faster on the lunar surface. The network will be specially made to withstand the moon’s extreme climatic conditions.
Also Read: Watch: 8 Mind-Bending Space Facts We Bet You Did Not Know
Network Interference A Worry For Astronomers
Radio telescopes are extremely sensitive and are thus made far away from human settlements due to avoid picking up phone signals.
While the 4G network on the moon will help in navigation and setting up an appropriate habitat for long-term human survival, astronomers are worried that it will act as interference for radio telescopes, impeding the work of astronomers in the long run.
Visitors to observatories around the world are asked to switch off their phone upon entering the premises, imagine what an entirely new network set-up could do.
NASA’s Artemis Program
The set-up of the 4G-LTE network is part of the Artemis program, which stands for Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence, and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun.
As part of this NASA will distribute $370 million in grants to 14 companies to develop technology that would make human habitation on the moon a reality in the coming decade.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX also received $53.2 million as part of the program for demonstrating the transfer of liquid oxygen between vehicles.
The program’s goal is to land “the first woman and the next man” on the lunar surface by 2024.
While we’re very excited for the moon to be finally getting an internet connection, we’d be a tad bit happier if the folks on Earth would try to fix our internet connections first. There’s only so many times one can switch off and switch on the wifi router before realizing that the internet isn’t ever getting faster than 5 Mbps. We hope something will be done about it soon.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: The Guardian, CNN, The Conversation
Find the blogger: @RoshniKahaHain
This post is tagged under: moon gets 4G network, Nokia gets NASA deal, NASA Artemis program, manned mission to the moon, space travel, What is the purpose of the Artemis program, Nokia launching 4g network on the moon, first cellular network on the moon
