Axiom Space has tapped Finnish telco vendor Nokia to integrate advanced 4G/LTE communication capabilities into next-generation spacesuits that will be used for the Artemis III lunar mission.
The Artemis III mission is described as the “most complex undertakings of engineering and human ingenuity” in the history of deep space exploration.”
According to NASA’s website, Artemis III will see astronauts travel to lunar orbit where “where two crew members will descend to the surface and spend approximately a week near the South Pole of the Moon conducting new science before returning to lunar orbit to join their crew for the journey back to Earth.”
Together, Nokia and Axiom Space will incorporate cellular-network capabilities in the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), supporting HD video, telemetry data, and voice transmission over multiple kilometers on the Moon.
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This advancement will enable Artemis III crew members to capture real-time video and communicate with mission controllers on Earth while they explore the lunar 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,” says Axiom Space executive vice president of extravehicular activity Russell Ralston.
Nokia plans to deploy the first cellular network on the Moon as part of Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission, which is scheduled to be delivered to the launch site in 2024.
During that mission, Nokia aims to demonstrate that cellular connectivity can facilitate crucial communications during future lunar or Mars missions.
Nokia’s Lunar Surface Communications System (LSCS), pioneered by Nokia Bell Labs’ research and innovation, will be deployed during IM-2 and will be further adapted for use in the AxEMU spacesuit.
“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,” says Nokia president Bell Labs Solutions Research Thierry E. Klein.
The fully autonomous LSCS has 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 carefully engineered to withstand the extreme environmental conditions on the lunar surface and the dynamic stress of spaceflight, and have been optimised for size, weight, and power consumption.
Axiom Space’s spacesuits will provide astronauts with advanced capabilities for space exploration while providing NASA with commercially developed human systems needed to access, live, and work on and around the Moon.
