Collaborating with Nokia Bell Labs, Intuitive Machines engineers performed rigorous testing and installation of the LSCS "network in a box" on Athena's carbon-composite upper panel. The installation incorporates thermal isolation and integration with Athena's Thermal Protection System to safeguard the system during its 239,000-mile journey and operation on the Moon. The protection system ensures heat management, enabling optimal function in extreme lunar temperatures.
Additional components of the LSCS have been installed on two lunar mobility vehicles: Intuitive Machines' Micro-Nova Hopper and Lunar Outpost's Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) rover. These vehicles are equipped to deploy after landing and immediately connect to the Athena-based network for operations on the lunar surface.
Nokia's LSCS leverages terrestrial 4G/LTE technology, adapted by Nokia Bell Labs to handle the demands of lunar missions. The system will facilitate high-definition video streaming, command-and-control communications, and telemetry data between Athena and the deployed vehicles. Intuitive Machines will transmit this data to Earth via its direct-to-Earth transmission service.
"We intend to prove that cellular technologies can provide the reliable, high-capacity and efficient connectivity needed for future crewed and uncrewed missions to the Moon and eventually Mars," said Thierry E. Klein, President of Bell Labs Solutions Research at Nokia. "Cellular technology has irrevocably transformed the way we communicate on Earth. There's no reason it can't do the same for communications on other worlds."
The LSCS and Micro-Nova Hopper were developed in collaboration with NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate through the Tipping Point initiative, which funds industry innovations that support commercial space ventures and future NASA missions. Intuitive Machines' IM-2 mission will use the Micro-Nova Hopper, named Grace, to explore permanently shadowed lunar craters for hydrogen-rich areas, indicative of ice deposits. Data collected by the hopper will be transmitted via the LSCS to Athena for relay to Earth.
The MAPP rover, designed by Lunar Outpost, will exit its protective enclosure on Athena upon landing. Equipped with antennas to connect to Nokia's network, the rover will embark on a multi-day mission to map the lunar south pole, gathering stereo imagery and environmental data.
"We believe delivering 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 Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus. "Whether it's Nokia connecting surface assets or Intuitive Machines transmitting data back to Earth, these innovations are foundational for the Artemis generation and were made possible through NASA leadership."
The launch of the Athena lander is scheduled for no earlier than late February from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
Related Links
Intuitive Machines
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