NASA and Nokia Are Putting 4G on the Moon and Astronauts Could Soon Call Home

The Moon is getting cell service. NASA is teaming up with Nokia’s Bell Labs to deploy a 4G network on the lunar surface, launching later this year on a SpaceX Falcon 9 and landing through an Intuitive Machines craft. Two small rovers will connect to the network while they search for water ice, marking a big step toward NASA’s Artemis goal of a long-term human presence on the Moon.

The project traces back to a $14 million NASA grant awarded to Bell Labs in 2020 to develop space-qualified cellular equipment. Unlike regular towers, this gear has to meet strict size, weight, and power limits, and it has to deploy without a technician on site. Once running, the network promises high-resolution video, real-time data transmission, and personal calls for astronauts, so they can talk to family back home almost like they’re walking down the street.

The technology could also be adapted for harsh environments on Earth, like deserts and Antarctica, where reliable coverage is rare. In other words, a network built for the Moon might one day fix dead zones right here at home. So here’s the question: if you could make one call from the lunar surface, who’s on the other end?