Celebrity Life

Living in space just got a lot more appealing, because the moon is getting 4G connectivity.

With competition among Earth's telecoms providers as fierce as ever, equipment maker Nokia announced its expansion into a new market on Monday, winning a deal to install the first cellular network on the Moon.

The Finnish equipment manufacturer said it was selected by NASA to deploy an "ultra-compact, low-power, space-hardened" wireless 4G network on the lunar surface, as part of the US space agency's plan to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon by 2030.

The US$14.1 million contract, awarded to Nokia's US subsidiary, is part of NASA's Artemis programme which aims to send the first woman, and next man, to the moon by 2024. The astronauts will begin carrying out detailed experiments and explorations which the agency hopes will help it develop its first human mission to Mars.

[caption id="attachment_211420" align="alignnone" width="1024"] NASA's Artemis programme aims to send the first woman, and next man, to the moon by 2024. (Image: Gaston De Cardenas/ AFP)[/caption]

Nokia's network equipment will be installed remotely on the moon's surface using a lunar hopper built by Intuitive Machines in late 2022, Nokia said.

"The network will self-configure upon deployment," the firm said in a statement, adding that the wireless technology will allow for "vital command and control functions, remote control of lunar rovers, real-time navigation and streaming of high definition video."

The 4G equipment can be updated to a super-fast 5G network in the future, Nokia said.

[caption id="attachment_211421" align="aligncenter" width="737"] Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969, in a photograph taken by Neil Armstrong. (Image: History in HD/ Unsplash)[/caption]

In all, NASA announced last week it would distribute US$370 million to 14 companies to supply "Tipping Point" technologies for its mission, which include robotics and new methods of harvesting the resources required for living on the moon, such as oxygen and energy sources. The bulk of the funding went to companies researching cryogenic propellants, freezing liquids used to fuel spacecraft.

Among them, Elon Musk's SpaceX received US$53.2 million for a demonstration of the transferring of ten metric tons of liquid oxygen between tanks on a starship vehicle, NASA said.

(Main image: Gaston De Cardenas/ AFP; Featured image: History in HD/ Unsplash)

The post The Moon Will Soon Get 4G Connectivity, Courtesy of NASA and Nokia appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

US firm Moon Express said it had received approval from the government to send an unmanned lander to the moon in 2017, in a first for private industry.

The post First Private Lunar Trip Approved: Moon Express appeared first on LUXUO.

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” Luke 21:25-26 Something about the moon and stars have always captured me. Staring into the light of the softly lit globe of stone just makes me feel… different. There is a bigger power that moves through our universe, and looking to the sky seems to strengthen that connection. The night always frightened me a bit growing up, so perhaps it’s also learning to embrace your fears and somehow becoming something else in the transition. Not alone in my fascination, I spent hours wandering Jantar Mantra in Jaipur, India on my most recent trip. It was fascinating to see how people have tried to interpret something so beyond our world. I don’t believe in the catchy phrases and predictions …