Nokia's Lunar Surface Communications System was intended to be the first 4G network deployed on the moon, providing connectivity for several rovers as part of the IM-2 mission. The mission aimed to pave the way for NASA's Artemis III in 2027, which will be the first crewed mission to the moon since 1972.

Unfortunately, Intuitive Machine's lander, Athena, landed on its side, 250 meters from its intended landing site at the lunar south pole. The orientation of the solar panels, direction of the sun, and cold temperatures in the crater it landed in all contributed to the fact that Athena couldn't recharge.

Network Validation

Despite the lander mishap, Nokia claims to have successfully powered up the Network in a Box (NIB), which received commands and transmitted data to Intuitive Machines' ground station on Earth. All system components were fully functional, though it was online for only about 25 minutes until the power went out.

The company had planned to make the first cellular call on the moon with the rovers, but the vehicles weren't deployed. The rovers were supposed to travel under 2 kilometers away from Athena, which is how far the broadband connectivity will be supported.

Future Plans

Nokia is still working towards establishing a permanent 4G network on the moon, with plans to integrate 4G LTE communications capabilities into astronaut spacesuits for the Artemis III mission. The network and modules in the spacesuits will be built to survive the extreme temperatures of the moon.

Over time, the goal is to establish permanent base stations on the moon, providing robust connectivity to support future lunar missions. Nokia's Lunar Surface Communications System is optimized for space travel, with several redundancies to recover from potential hardware or electronic failures.