via Intuitive Machines
Working with NASA, Intuitive Machines, Nokia, and Lunar Outpost are building, integrating, and demonstrating the first ever cellular network demonstration on the Moon.
The mission, IM-2, will land as soon as December 2022. Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lunar lander will deliver Nokia’s LTE/4G communications system to the Moon’s South Pole. Nova-C will deploy Lunar Outpost’s M1 Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) rover, equipped with 4G/LTE communication user equipment, and provide a wireless communications link on the lunar surface between the rover and Nova-C.
Major Milestones Surpassed:
· Lunar Outpost, Nokia, and Intuitive Machines completed Preliminary Design Review for Nokia’s portion of the mission
· Intuitive Machines is providing a lander, Nova-C, the release mechanism to deploy the rover, and the communication system to Earth
About IM-2 Lunar South Pole Prospecting Mission:
In addition to being the first to establish a lunar communications network, Intuitive Machines' second mission to the Moon will set the stage for future robotic exploration and pave the way for the first woman and person of color to set foot on the lunar surface. IM-2 will be the first spacecraft to ever land on the lunar South Pole. After sticking the landing, IM's Nova-C spacecraft will deliver NASA’s Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment -1 (PRIME-1), which will become the first instrument to drill for lunar ice. Nova-C will also deploy a rover to demonstrate LTE communication on the lunar surface. During surface operations, IM's Micro-Nova will demonstrate extreme lunar mobility. Micro-Nova will be the first spacecraft to explore deep craters on the Moon's surface.