Axiom Space, Nokia Partnership to Bring High-Speed Connectivity for Lunar Exploration
A new Axiom Space and Nokia partnership could reach the moon to facilitate 4G/LTE communications for NASA’s Artemis III lunar mission to integrate a high-speed cellular network technology into Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) for lunar exploration.
Artemis III mission will be equipped to share real-time videos and interact with earth-based mission control, delivering smooth data exchange during their activities on Moon’s surface.
“It is exciting for us at Axiom Space to be working with Nokia on enhancing our next generation space suit services. This addition will provide a necessary link between astronauts and mission control back home enabling them share vital Information and communicate through high-definition video while on long distances,” said Executive Vice President of Extravehicular Activity at Axiom Space, Russell Ralston.
Nokia’s Networks Beyond the Earth
The Axiom Nokia partnership very much aligns with its larger vision of deploying the first cellular networks on the Moon, which will significantly be pushed with Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission, which is scheduled to reach the launch site in 2024.
The mission will show to what extent cellular connectivity will have a potential during future lunar and Mars missions.
For the Artemis III mission, Nokia will adapt its Lunar Surface Communications System (LSCS) from Nokia Bell Labs specifically for use in the AxEMU spacesuits. The LSCS comprises two main components: a “network-in-a-box” that includes a radio, base station, and core network in a single unit, and device modules designed for AxEMU spacesuits.
These components have been engineered to withstand the Moon’s severe conditions and space travel constraints, while optimizing size, weight, and energy usage.
“Just as astronauts will need life support, shelter and food, they will need advanced networks to communicate with each other and go about their crucial work,” said Thierry E. Klein, who heads Bell Labs Solutions Research at Nokia emphasized the importance of networks in space exploration.
“Bell Labs has a long history of working on space projects, and Nokia is a leader in designing and building networks that connect the world. We are taking advantage of the same standards-based technologies that connect billions of devices on Earth every day, while bringing new innovation and technologies to bear on the specific challenges encountered in space,” he added.
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