Calling home on the moon: that could soon work
Photo: OSWALDO RIVAS / REUTERS
"I can't deny a feeling of loneliness," says Michael Collins, former NASA astronaut of the Apollo 11 moon mission, looking back: "It is particularly clear when radio contact with the earth breaks off at the moment when you are on the back of the Now I am really alone, isolated from every living being. "
No contact with earth, loneliness in space: if the US space agency Nasa has its way, this should no longer be the case for the moon.
The technology group Nokia has been awarded the contract by NASA to set up a cellular network on the earth's satellite, the Finnish company announced on Monday.
This is the first time that an LTE / 4G communication system will be set up in space.
It is the preparation for a permanent human presence on the lunar surface.
For the transport of the network station, the Scandinavians are working with the Texan specialist Intuitive Machines, who has already had experience with his Lunar Lander.
The network will later be upgraded to the more modern 5G technology.
The astronauts should not only be able to make phone calls, but also exchange video recordings and large amounts of data.
Nokia has promised that the connection will be established on the moon by the end of 2022.
A cellular network is crucial so that people can be present on the moon in the long term, Nokia said.
From 2024: man and woman in the moon
The US plans to return to the moon with astronauts in 2024.
As part of the "Artemis" program, NASA wants to send astronauts to the moon again by 2024, including the first woman.
A permanent settlement is to be built there by the end of the decade in order to investigate the earth's satellite even more intensely than before.
The mission is to provide insights for the next big step: sending astronauts to Mars.
Two weeks ago the European Space Agency announced that it would officially participate in the US program "Artemis".
The first step is to set up the "Lunar Orbital Platform Gateway".
This modular space station will orbit the moon and enable moon landings.
The "gateway" platform will also control robots that collect data about the lunar surface.
Later it will also serve as a starting point for flights to Mars.
Icon: The mirror
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