Integrated network connectivity in the suit will advance space exploration with crew-to-crew communication and ability to capture and transmit real-time HD video with Earth.
Nokia has announced a collaboration with Axiom Space to integrate cutting-edge 4G/LTE communication capabilities into the spacesuits for NASAs upcoming Artemis III lunar mission. This partnership will see advanced cellular network technology incorporated into the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), enabling high-definition video, telemetry data and voice communication over multiple kilometres on the Moon.
The enhanced AxEMU suits will allow Artemis III astronauts to transmit real-time video and communicate seamlessly with mission control on Earth while they explore the lunar surface. This marks a significant leap in space exploration technology, offering astronauts the ability to exchange crucial data and maintain HD communication over long distances.
This advancement will enable Artemis III crewmembers to capture real-time video and communicate with mission controllers on Earth while they explore the lunar surface.
Russell Ralston, Axiom Space executive vice president of extravehicular activity, said: “Axiom Space is excited to work with Nokia to build on the advanced capabilities of our next-generation spacesuit. 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.”
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. Nokias 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.
Thierry E. Klein, President of Bell Labs Solutions Research at Nokia, added: “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. Bell Labs has a long history of working on space projects, and Nokia is a leader in designing and building networks that connect the world. We are taking advantage of the same standards-based technologies that connect billions of devices on Earth every day, while bringing new innovation and technologies to bear on the specific challenges encountered in space.”
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 optimized for size, weight and power consumption.
Axiom Spaces 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.
Axiom Spaces development of these next-generation spacesuits and Nokias lunar surface communications innovations are significant advancements toward furthering American leadership in space exploration, enabling a deeper understanding of the Moon, the solar system, and beyond.
