Lunar Surface Communication System integration for IM-2
The lander, named Athena, will be equipped with an LSCS system when it travels to the lunar south pole region as part of the IM-2 mission. The companies intend to deploy the first cellular network on the Moon.
“We believe that the delivery of Nokia’s 4G/LTE system to the lunar surface is a transformative moment in the commercialization of space and the maturity of the lunar economy,” said Steve Altemus, the company’s CEO. Intuitive machines.
“We are taking thoughtful steps to achieve sustainability. Whether it’s connecting Nokia’s ground assets or Intuitive Machines’ ability to beam that data back to Earth and install lunar data relay satellites, these innovations are the core capabilities that we believe will define the Artemis generation, and they were driven by management NASA.”
Integration
After months of testing at Nokia Bell Labs, Intuitive Machines engineers installed the LSCS network-in-a-box on one of Athena’s carbon composite top panels.
Each of the 14 attachment points is thermally insulated to protect the network from the extremely cold temperatures of space. Intuitive Machines has also integrated the network into the Athena thermal protection system.
The system will reject heat when the network is running and supply heat to protect the network when it is idle, the company says.
Two rovers
It’s not just intuitive machines that will use the system—rovers launched from landers will be on the Athens network.
Two device modules, which comprise additional components of Nokia’s LSCS, have been installed in two lunar mobile vehicles. These are the Micro-Nova hopper from Intuitive Machines and the Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) rover from Lunar Outpost.
After landing on the Moon, both vehicles are designed to be deployed on the lunar surface. At this point, the MAPP rover will emerge from the protective enclosure at Athena. It will then extend its antennas and establish a connection to Nokia’s cellular network on the Athena.
The Micro-Nova Hopper, which will roam the Moon, is described as a “mini-lunar vehicle for extreme mobility” (right).
The MAPP rover is expected to embark on a multi-day journey. It will explore the lunar south pole region, map the lunar surface and collect stereo images and environmental data.
Lunar surface communications system
The communications system on the lunar surface uses standard 4G/LTE cellular technology, familiar to billions of devices on Earth.
However, the LSCS network is designed to provide ground communications between the lander and the vehicles. For example, it will stream high-definition video, command and control communications, and telemetry data.
Intuitive Machines then plans to transmit data from the LSCS back to Earth using a direct data transmission service to Earth.
Intuitive Machines’ Athena lander will launch no earlier than late February from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
2025-01-09 06:06:13