Nokia will adapt its Lunar Surface Communications System for use in the Axiom Space AxEMU spacesuit
Nokia and Axiom Space have been tasked with enabling 4G cellular-network connectivity for data, video and voice transmission in the spacesuits destined for use during the National Aeronautics & Space Administration’s (NASA) Artemis III lunar mission, which is planned for 2026 and will be the first human mission to the lunar South Pole.
Nokia will adapt its Lunar Surface Communications System (LSCS), pioneered by Nokia Bell Labs for use in Axiom Space’s AxEMU spacesuit, to allow Artemis III crew members to capture real-time video, as well as communicate with mission control on Earth while they explore the Moon’s surface. “Adding high-speed 4G/LTE network capability on the Moon will serve as a vital bridge linking astronauts to Earth, facilitating crucial data exchange, and enabling high-definition video communication over long distances,” commented Russell Ralston, Axiom Space’s executive VP of extravehicular activity.
Prior to the Artemis III launch, NASA will land on the Moon to drill a mass spectrometer near the south pole of the Moon to demonstrate the feasibility of onsite resource utilization and measure the volatile content of subsurface samples. During this drilling mission, called Intuitive Machines’ IM-2, Nokia will deploy the LSCS on the Moon to demonstrate the value of cellular connectivity in enabling crucial communications during lunar or Mars missions.
Nokia noted that the LSCS is fully autonomous, with two components: a network-in-a-box combines the radio, base station and core network elements of a terrestrial cellular network into a single unit; and device modules that will be integrated into the AxEMU spacesuits. Both components, said the company, have been “carefully engineered” to withstand the Moon’s “extreme environmental conditions” and “the dynamic stress of spaceflight,” and things like size, weight and power consumption have also been considered.
“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. 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,” said Thierry E. Klein, president of Bell Labs solutions research at Nokia. “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.”
Axiom Space was one of two companies to secure a contract in early 2022 with NASA to build next-generation spacesuits used for Artemis missions and Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) missions.
