NASA is Putting A 4G Network on The Moon

This latest news might come as shock to many people. NASA is partnering with telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics company Nokia to put a 4G network on the Moon.

In order to reach its 2028 goal to build a lunar base and sustain a human presence on the moon, NASA has awarded $370 million to several companies to deploy the technology on the lunar surface with $14.1 million of it going over to Nokia. To the ordinary public this may come as a shock, if you are unable to get a cell phone signal while out and about, why do astronauts need reliable service? To tweet about their moon golf shots and post lunar rover selfies? NASA says that putting 4G on the moon will upgrade the current radio communication already on the moon, and in the future, it will be upgraded further to 5G.

The cellular network on the moon will be built with many challenges in mind with it needing to withstand high temperatures, radiation, spaces vacuum, and it will need to be functional during lunar landing and launches. This 4G network will be used in many ways on the moon by astronauts. They will be able to use it to transmit data, control lunar rovers, and access real-time navigation over the moon also known as Google Maps for the Moon.

Although I do see the potential of having a 4G network on the moon, I do think it will be very controversial. Wanting to prioritize a strong internet connection for the 10 people on the moon at once compared to the millions of people that live in underserved areas that aren’t covered by cellular service might not sit right with people.

Sources: https://www.xda-developers.com/nokia-nasa-funding-4g-moon/

https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/18/tech/4g-network-moon-trnd/index.html

 

13 thoughts on “NASA is Putting A 4G Network on The Moon

  1. Interesting… I feel like they should provide proper services to the areas of the Earth that don’t receive service before they go back to the moon to put 4G there. It’s just not really necessary… I could see why they would need 4G for transmitting data, but in regards to using it for maps on the moon and controlling rovers, I don’t see a point. Astronauts were able to navigate their way around space without 4G, so why switch over to Google Maps now? Rovers were working in space without 4G before, so, again, why now? My whole point is that 4G in space isn’t necessary and there are other effective ways to go about directions and rover controlling.

    Someone else said this, but I almost think this a publicity stunt. I know people that don’t believe in the moon landing. Maybe this whole stunt of putting 4G on the moon is a way to get people to believe…

    https://futurism.com/how-do-scientists-find-directions-in-space

  2. This is definitely going to be a controversial decision. While I understand the desire to create a lunar colony, and keeping communication with those people and them having a good internet connection is important, but millions live in the U.S. without great internet connection or lack of a 4G network, especially those in rural areas as discussed in the article below. 350 million dollars is an incredible amount of money, and tax payers are giving their money to support 10 astronauts on the Moon, which just seems like an … interesting decision to me. The money NASA is spending on this could easily be spent elsewhere, supporting the American people that actually need it, and not the United State’s fascination with this “advancement” of the continuation of the space race and colonization.

    I fully understand the need for scientific advancement and the want to explore the unexplored, but this seems like overkill when there are millions in the U.S. without access to a basic utility such as internet.

    https://www.opensignal.com/2019/09/24/mobile-experience-in-rural-usa-an-operator-comparison

  3. I find this topic to be extremely interesting. Although we have problems with 4G on Earth as it is, I still think that having it on the moon would be useful. This would allow astronauts to learn more about the moon than ever before. Who knows, maybe they are preparing the moon for humans life? The direction our Earth is going right now, I wouldn’t be surprised… we definitely need a back-up plan. Thus, incorporating 4G on the moon would be a good thing because it will allow astronauts to learn more about it to see if human life could actually survive on it. Yes, it may sound crazy, but in today’s society… you honestly never know. I am very interested to see how this plays out and the controversies that arise over it.

  4. This article is really interesting because of all the implications that trying to put 4G networks on the moon actually has. I think that this is a great example of how far technology has come in recent years, and also to see how high they have their bars set for allowing more people to connect to the internet. I think that this topic will obviously have a lot of baggage that comes with it because of the fact that there are many people currently living on the planet that are not able to access a 4G network, but they are trying to give it to a very small amount of people and not to the large numbers of people who have never had the chance to use a 4G network.

    Another way of looking at this new development would be one of optimism, where places all around the world are trying to improve technology, and also to expand the number of people who are able to use this new technology to benefit their everyday lives.

    Source: https://news.sky.com/story/nokia-to-build-4g-network-on-the-moon-for-nasa-12108387

  5. Wow, this is definitely a super interesting concept. I never could have imagined there being cell service on the moon. It is crazy to me how fast technology is advancing; google maps for the moon does not even seem like something that could really be real, but alas, with technology nowadays you really never know. I do think that there will be inevitable obstacles in order to install a network on the moon, but in the end, I think it will be more beneficial than not.

    The one thing that has me confused about this idea is how would creating a network on the moon going to benefit communication on Earth if the majority of the service used will be used on different applications such as Google Maps for the moon. It will definitely be interesting to see how this all plays out; and if played out successfully, it could be very beneficial to NASA, space research, and of course communication worldwide.

  6. It would be incredible to have that technology on the moon and able to communicate easier with residents on Earth. I agree that it will be controversial for many living in areas where there is limited or even third world countries without any service or technology to support it. It is a different situation though be communication is important and while our current mode of contact works, we should be using the best technology to support the best results. After all, that is why we continue to innovate. I wonder what security requirements would have to be put in place. Would it be easier or harder to hack than a residential system on Earth? How difficult would it be to implement with the solar radiation? I suppose this is why NASA is on the job and why it is such a large and highly funded project.

  7. This is an extremely interesting topic. I would’ve never thought that putting cellular connection like 4G on the moon would even make sense. However, it is very cool to hear about all the applications that having a 4G connection on the moon would help with like controlling the technology and transmitting data. Also, I found it very interesting to hear about a Google Maps for the moon, I would leave to see it in action and see what the software is like for that.

    I definitely think this would be an amazing feature to have for astronauts on the moon since things will get faster for them, benefiting them on their missions. However, I would be interested to see their plan of approach to installing such a feature and accounting for all the factors like extreme heat, as mentioned in the post. In regards to some people being mad that their is better connection on the moon than some places on earth, I can understand the frustration but at the same time space exploration is the main focus for NASA so they need to have the best possible technology and features available for their astronauts. Overall, I am excited to see what the future holds with 4G on the moon and how it will be able to positively impact the astronauts journeys through space and to the moon.

    Link: https://nypost.com/2020/10/18/nokia-wins-nasa-contract-to-put-4g-network-on-the-moon/

  8. This is very interesting! This will be very useful for NASA and astronauts as it will be much easier for them to send and receive data to the space stations, along with many other uses. This can help astronauts communicate with others, and maybe even communicate with friends and family while stationed there. This will a big advancement for space and science and undoubtedly help NASA significantly in the future. I do not think this will be very controversial, as NASA’s job and budget is dedicated towards space exploration. Sure, some people may be upset that the moon is getting better connection than some areas on earth, but that is the purpose of NASA.
    https://www.wlwt.com/article/nasa-and-nokia-are-putting-a-4g-network-on-the-moon/34406325

  9. This is an extremely interesting story because Nokia has to make 4G connection space proof and it also means that we are further along in the line to going to Mars. Also who knows what could happen after 4G is put up on the moon, could that impact our connectivity on Earth. That are so many possibilities that can come from this that we aren’t even aware of yet. I know some people might have doubts about the necessity of this but in times like these we need things to look forward to and technology is something that interests everyone nowadays.

    A little fun fact I found while trying to do so more research on this topic. I found an article saying that more specifically Nokia Bell Labs was going to be doing the project and one of their laboratories is literally a 2 minute drive from my house in Holmdel, NJ.
    https://krcrtv.com/news/local/nasa-announces-plans-to-establish-4g-network-on-the-moon

  10. After putting the 4G network on the moon, we can watch the astronaut live broadcast! Exciting! Our progress in the exploration of space has taken another small step! After a few decades, the United States is about to land on the moon again. Space exploration will always be the most curious and interesting area for us. In many sci-fi movies, the astronauts are so lonely, they can’t communicate with their family members and their loved ones on the space station for hundreds of days. Within the 4G network on the moon, they’ll never miss a single piece of information on earth. That’s great.
    For high-quality communications, Nasa did not hesitate to spend a lot of money to build 4g base stations on the moon. It can be seen that communication is very important to the progress of human civilization.

  11. I actually think this is a pretty cool story. If NASA truly aims to construct a life sustaining facility on the Moon, I think connection to the web will be very important for them as the conduct their research. While yes, one could argue that other places on the globe still are not connected, its not like developing this technology for use in and close to the lunar facility will be so incredibly more expensive compared to normal costs, just slightly. I think this type of technology will be very important in the not so distant future, so I think its a good time for us to get started on it.

  12. As for humans advancing in society, I think that it is important for stellar travel, especially to the moon where the scientific value is infinite. Having this station could allow astronauts on the lunar station to be more easily connected with people on Earth and can send a higher quantity of data at once. There definitely is the concern of 4G not having complete coverage on Earth, but I think this advancement will also get us closer to the reality of the Internet of Things. This would allow that the moon is essentially connected to the vast environment of the internet. I also wonder when exactly there will be 5G on the moon, but I believe it will take a very long time to get that established on the moon considering the constraints. This will undoubtedly advance the scientific nature of human civilization and will also get closer to the reality of the Internet of Things.

  13. I found this post really interesting. Putting a 4G network on the moon sounds a little crazy right now with everything going on. I don’t think this is a necessity but more of a publicity stunt to spark peoples interest in space again. Yeah it would certainly be useful to astronauts up there, but there hasn’t been a man on the moon in decades. Putting up this network is definitely going to have its challenges. As mentioned these challenges consist of extreme temperatures and radiation.

    This would definitely help future mission on the moon. Communications are important up there because your team is relying on the people down on earth to feed them information and help them with whatever questions they need. With quicker communications, the astronauts would be more relaxed because they know they can easily reach other people. They wouldn’t feel alone on the moon

    https://mashable.com/article/nokia-cellular-network-on-the-moon/

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