Nokia partnered with Axiom Space to equip the company’s next-generation spacesuits with 4G LTE, enabling network connectivity for astronauts on the upcoming Artemis III lunar mission.

The Finnish vendor explained it will integrate network connectivity in the AxEMU spacesuits to “advance” space exploration with crew-to-crew communications and enable the ability to capture and transmit real-time HD videos with Earth.

Axiom Space is a provider of human spaceflight services and a developer of space infrastructure, operating missions to the International Space Centre. The Artemis III mission is scheduled to start in 2026 and will see two astronauts land on the surface of the Moon, staying for one week.

Combined, Nokia and Axiom will incorporate the network capabilities in the Axiom Mobility Unit, supporting HD video, telemetry data and voice over multiple kilometres on the Moon.

The move will apparently enable the crew to not only capture real-time video, but also communicate with mission controllers on Earth.

Nokia’s Lunar Surface Communications System has two components: a network-in-a-box set-up combining the radio, base station and core network elements of a terrestrial network into a single unit; and device modules which will be integrated into the spacesuits.

Nokia is already working on deploying the first cellular network on the Moon, scheduled to be delivered in 2024. During that mission, it aims to demonstrate that cellular connectivity can facilitate crucial communications during future lunar or missions to Mars.

Thierry E Klein, president of Bell Labs Solutions Research at Nokia, pointed out that just as astronauts need life support, food and shelter, they also “need advanced networks to communicate with each other and go about their crucial work”.

“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.”