Very soon, astronauts on the moon will be able to update their Instagram feed in real time. NASA has awarded a contract to Solstar Space to connect a Wi-Fi system on the moon. Soon, astronauts will be able to walk around the Lunar South Pole using more than just a radio. They will have a local Internet network, just as if they were back home on Earth.
Apparently, this is one of many steps to turn the moon into a place to work and live, rather than just an exotic place to visit. The contract with Sol Stars Space is a small step (pun intended) toward creating the necessary communications infrastructure. After all, “home is where the Wi-Fi is.”
Are they going to install routers on the Moon?
Although it may seem like a bad idea (many are imagining astronauts spending their time on TikTok instead of working), if we want to colonize the Moon more permanently, we need a local area network. It is crucial for the logistics and safety of potential lunar inhabitants. For now, state-of-the-art radios are not sufficient for the amount of data generated at a lunar base.
With a Wi-Fi network, it would be much easier to connect rovers and lunar vehicles autonomously, transmit telemetry and videos in much higher definition, and allow astronauts to use suits and equipment in their special suits without cumbersome wiring, as they have been using until now. The use of Wi-Fi technology is not innovative: it has already been used successfully for data transfer in the Artemis I mission.
Solstar Space, your new Lunar Data Planner
This company is not just any telecommunications company. Soldier Space, based in New Mexico, specializes in persistent communications for space. While some telecommunications companies don’t give you Internet coverage if you go to a rural area, Start Space is committed to providing you with good Wi-Fi even if you’re not even on planet Earth.
This company has already proven that its network equipment can withstand the journey: in 2018, it was able to send the first commercial tweet from space, aboard the Blue Origin mission. Its most famous products are the Space Communicators. These are essentially routers designed for satellites, which help to create a kind of “space area network.”
The contract award is now in phase one. This means that it is a small initial investment for the development of the concept; they are not going to send someone to install routers next month. The contract, worth US$150,000, is intended to give them six months to come up with the preliminary design of the system.
LWIFI-AP
This particular product was a lunar Wi-Fi access point. The company needs to create two versions: one for short missions lasting only one lunar day (equivalent to 14 Earth days); and a radiation-resistant version for use in the Art3mis program’s long-term missions. The latter will require years of operation. This Wi-Fi network needs an ultra-resistant installation: it must be able to withstand cosmic radiation, abrasive lunar dust, and extreme temperature changes on the Moon.
This project is not symbolic, like planting a flag at the lunar south pole: NASA’s Artemis program seeks to establish a sustainable human presence on Earth’s only satellite. For now, private companies such as Soltar will be at the forefront of robotics before the astronauts arrive. The Wi-Fi to be installed by the company Son Start is part of a larger telecommunications ecosystem, which also includes the development of 4G and 5G networks. In addition, there is the lunar navigation project, LunaNet, created in collaboration between NASA and the ESA.
While they have not given any deadlines, we can only fantasize about visiting the Moon one day… and being able to FaceTime family back home to boast about our holiday.