Nokia’s 4G network will be a game-changer for lunar missions

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Although it might seem as if there is a great interest at the present time in Explore MarsMany people do not realize how important moon In reaching the red planet. A number of countries are invested in commercials space Projects to the moon and the creation of the moon’s economy.

During the next twenty years, there are expected to be a large number of tasks, with approximately half of the national and half -commercial endeavors funded by the private sector. The missions will be more comprehensive than those in Apollo program From the sixties and seventies. Instead of short visits and science cultivation, missions are planned to create a more sustainable presence on the moon. The possibility of creating semi -rules, conducting scientific experiments, mining, and resource use is explored.

To achieve these ambitious goals, advanced communication systems are very important. It is not about Astronauts Share photos on Social media; It comes to facilitating complex operations, empowering smooth cooperation, and supporting scientific developments and economic endeavors.

I want to go into cooperation between the telecommunications industry and Explore space. The telecommunications industry experience in network technologies has opened many unexploited possibilities that can be harnessed in space tasks.

I talked to IEEE colleague Terry E. KleinDeputy Head of Strategic Partnerships in Nokia bells Which, along with Nassa and Intuitive machinesThe first cellular network was built. I was following the project during the year and a half last year.

Klein is an expert in network technologies. Bell laboratory It has a long history of innovation in wireless communications and played a vital role in revolutionizing communication on Earth. The company is now preparing to adapt and customize lunar task technologies.

the IM-2 Mission Lander (His name is Athens), which was launched on February 26 and believes that the spacecraft landed on the surface of the moon on March 6 near Shalaklon hole On the moon AntarcticArea of ​​scientific significance to search for water and ice. Nokia Lunar surface communication system It is published on Athens, and communicate with other task loads. One of the load is Rover to explore the moon’s surface and communicate with Lander through Nokia’s 4G network. Another load is a microscopic designed to enter a hole and search for water and ice. Nokia It aims to show the effectiveness of its communication technology and enable scientifically related tasks. (As of March 7, the mission teams stated that the spacecraft may have fallen in an incorrect direction.)

Moon environment challenges

Nokia’s mission on the moon is a technical demonstration, which is presented to Nassa And the space industry Communications technology It can be spread, operated and effectively implemented on the moon. Nokia has adapted a commercial product away from the lunar environment, dedicated it and integrates it to meet the needs of the lunar tasks. Klein says that the company reduced the size of the network components, its weight, energy consumption and network modification to suit the moon’s environment.

The space industry is primarily dependent on UHF techniques and satellite communications, but Nokia looks forward to verifying the validity and proving the ability to adapt communication technology to moon tasks.

Klein says the task focuses on clarifying how cellular techniques work in harsh environments. IM-2 was launched during the lunar day-which represents some challenges, especially in terms of Thermal administration. The equipment is not expected to escape the harsh conditions of the moon moon.

To address this, Nokia developed the coolant designs to ensure the emergence of technology.

Another big challenge is radiationKlein says. Not all ingredients RadiationBut Nokia has carried out shield and reliability strategies, including a system and capabilities of excessive programs that discover and operate wrong equipment automatically.

Equipment was underwent a wide test to withstand mechanical pressures for release and landing. The shock, vibration and acceleration tests were critical ingredients for the development process, says Klein.

He also made great efforts to simulate the conditions of the moon in the test environments, he says, to meet the challenges of maximum temperatures, radiation and logistics. This includes cooperation with NASA to align the spread of radio frequency, which ensures accurate predictions of the network’s performance on the moon.

Nokia conducted tests in sites with volcanic landscapes, including Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands And the mountains in Colorado. Simulating operations are designed to simulate the challenges they face on the surface of the moon, allowing Nokia to calibrate its models against the real world data.

Klein admits the possibility of unexpected challenges as soon as technology works on the moon. He says the real test will come when the company can verify the authenticity of its models through actual measurements from the moon’s surface.

Nokia says about spreading networks in harsh environments since 2018, says Klein, with the ambition to solve difficult technical problems, as well as the belief that advanced communication capabilities are necessary for space tasks.

Klein stresses the need for strong communication to explore the moon and beyond. It describes a vision of the future moon’s economy depends on advanced communication techniques. Take advantage of the list 5G The capabilities, as he says, is crucial to endeavors.

The developments in the Lunar Communications Project in Nokia are great leaps forward in space exploration technology. Merging advanced communications systems on the moon is preparing to enhance our understanding of the moon’s circumstances and support future exploratory tasks.

I look forward to seeing how techniques perform in their real environment and what discoveries are waiting for us as a result.

I believe a firm belief that the telecommunications industry experience in communication technologies can play a decisive role in the progress of space exploration and enhance the growth of the moon.