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NASA's plans -

In the next few years, NASA has ambitious plans to send astronauts to the lunar South Pole.

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Need to communicate -

But once there, the astronauts will need a way to communicate, both among themselves and with people back on Earth.

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Long-term challenge -

Lunar communication has traditionally been a challenge; the Apollo moon landing in 1969, for example, was very poorly broadcast.

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1969 coverage -

In 1969, the momentousness of the first ever moon landing was enough to distract viewers from the grainy and almost indecipherable footage.

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Today -

Presently, however, viewers will be expecting a lot more, and the mission to bring Wi-Fi to the moon is well underway.

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Nokia's work -

In 2023, Nokia announced that it would take 4G to the moon, thanks to the help of SpaceX and Intuitive Machines.

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Announcing plans -

Already at that time, they announced their plans to launch an antenna-equipped base station, a lunar lander, and a sun-powered rover.

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Overcoming obstacles -

In revealing their plans, Nokia described how they plan to overcome the various challenges associated with bringing a communication network to the moon.

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Challenging conditions -

The first, and perhaps most obvious challenge, is that the environmental conditions on the moon are relatively extreme.

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Low temperatures and dust -

With very low temperatures and layers of lunar dust, it is easy to understand why it would be difficult to establish a strong Wi-Fi connection.

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Protecting equipment -

There is also a challenge associated with making sure that all the equipment needed for a network makes it to the moon undamaged.

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Complex equipment -

There is a wealth of equipment required to put these plans into action; some of it is delicate, and the journey is not a piece of cake.

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Self-fixing requirement -

Another complication is that the equipment must be able to fix itself if any problems are to arise. It is therefore more complex than the equipment used here on Earth.

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Energy efficiency -

Finally, scientists must ensure that the lunar network is as energy-efficient as possible.

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Solar and batteries -

Indeed, the energy consumption must be at a minimum, because the network will be powered by solar and batteries alone.

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The Artemis missions -

Once Nokia has established Wi-Fi on the moon, the plan is for NASA astronauts to use it during the Artemis missions.

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Establishing a base -

According to the Artemis page of the NASA website, the overarching aim of these missions is to build a lunar base camp on the moon’s surface.

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An orbiting spaceship -

A spaceship known as the Gateway will then be sent into constant orbit, in order to help astronauts transition to the surface.

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Timeline -

As per the current timeline, NASA plans to put the astronauts into lunar orbit this year. The crew is then scheduled to land on the moon in 2026.

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Using the Wi-Fi -

So, what will the astronauts actually use the Wi-Fi for? Primarily, it will be used as a communication method.

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Communication between astronauts -

Of course, astronauts need a reliable way to get in contact with one another once they land on the moon.

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Communication with Earth -

They also need a reliable means of communication to keep them connected with people here on Earth.

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4K resolution - According to Matt Cosby, chief technology officer at the UK’s Goonhilly Earth Station, we can expect 4K resolution coming back from the moon almost in real time.

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Superior image quality -

The idea is that up to 500 megabits of data will be traveling back to Earth from the moon, so the images will be around 10 times better than they were in 1969.

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Exploring the South Pole -

One of the main regions that Artemis astronauts are keen to explore is the moon’s South Pole.

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Key area of interest -

The lunar South Pole is particularly interesting for various reasons, not least because scientists believe it may be a treasure trove of lunar ice.

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Possible abundance of ice -

If there is, in fact, an abundance of ice at the moon’s South Pole, this could have far-reaching implications for the future of lunar missions.

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One of the trickiest areas -

However, thanks to its enormous craters, the South Pole is also one of the trickiest areas for establishing a stable Wi-Fi connection.

Only time will tell whether scientists are able to establish a Wi-Fi network on such challenging terrain.

Sources: (BBC) (Deseret News) (NASA)

See also: Could Jupiter's moon support life?

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