Nokia’s Plan to Make a 4G Call From the Moon Fails Due to Technical Issue

Nokia’s recent lunar endeavor, deploying a cellular network on the Moon, initially sparked widespread excitement, though it fell short of a key objective due to a technical problem.

Less than a month ago, the company made headlines as the first to establish such a network, a move hailed as a significant technological advancement. This mission came to life in partnership with NASA for Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission.

However, despite the successful deployment of Nokia Bell Labs’ Lunar Surface Communication System via the Athena lander, the mission did not accomplish its goal of placing the first cellular call from the Moon’s surface.

Unfortunate Landing Error

A critical landing error ultimately hampered Nokia’s ambition to make the first lunar cellular call, despite the successful deployment of a 4G network. The Intuitive Machines’ Athena lander, tasked with carrying the network system, landed on its side, a miscalculation that severely limited the solar panels’ ability to generate adequate power. This power shortage directly impeded the system’s operational capacity, preventing the intended cellular call.

Still a Major Success

While the primary goal of the mission was not fully realized, the Finnish telecommunications giant still achieved the milestone of establishing the 4G network in the lunar south pole region. Nokia confirmed essential network functionalities by successfully transmitting data to both Intuitive Machines’ ground station and Nokia’s mission control center on Earth.

Despite a premature shutdown of the lunar lander, Nokia managed to execute a series of crucial tests in a brief, 25-minute window. A senior executive at Nokia, the President of Bell Labs Solution Research, publicly acknowledged both the network’s achievement and the setback regarding the intended first lunar call. He said:

In space exploration there are big successes and small successes. We delivered and deployed the first cellular network on the Moon and we are incredibly proud of the results that we have achieved despite the very challenging circumstances. If our device modules had been functional when our network in a box was powered up, all indications tell us that we would have been able to complete the first-ever cellular call on the Moon.