Nokia and Axiom Space working to put 4G in next gen spacesuits

Rigging the new spacesuits, which go by the catchy name of Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), with high-speed cellular-network capabilities means they can support HD video, telemetry data and voice transmission over multiple kilometers on the Moon, says the release.

This means the Artemis III crewmembers will then be able to capture real-time video and communicate with mission controllers on Earth while they explore the lunar surface.

Nokia plans to deploy the first cellular network on the Moon as part of Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission, which is due to be delivered to the launch site in 2024. As part of that, it aims to demonstrate that ‘cellular connectivity can facilitate crucial communications during future lunar or Mars missions.’

Nokia’s Lunar Surface Communications System (LSCS) will be deployed during IM-2 and will be further adapted for use in the AxEMU spacesuit. It is fully autonomous and is based on 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 the network and device modules have been made to withstand the extreme environmental conditions on the moon and the stresses of spaceflight.

“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,” said Thierry E. Klein, President of Bell Labs Solutions Research at Nokia. “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. 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."

Russell Ralston, Axiom Space executive vice president of extravehicular activity, added: “Axiom Space is excited to work with Nokia to build on the advanced capabilities of our next-generation spacesuit. 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.”

NASA selected Nokia Bell Labs to get a moon-based wireless network up and running back in 2020 to support its efforts in setting up a ‘sustainable human presence on the lunar surface.’ It is scheduled to deploy sometime this year in order to prove that 3GPP-based technology can do the job.

It attributes being part of this project as why it was also picked to participate in DARPA’s (The US government’s Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency) LunA-10 Capability Study – which is the wider initiative to build a blueprint of how agencies and companies from various industries can be brought together to build out the infrastructure for a permanent base on the Moon, as well as a fully-fledged economy there.

The ultimate goal is to use this lunar base as a stepping stone to manned missions to Mars – which you read about in detail in our interview with Nokia from earlier this year.