Major Milestones Surpassed in Establishing 4G LTE on the Moon

via Intuitive Machines, July 22, 2021

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.

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Intuitive Machines to Deploy and Operate First Lunar Communication Satellite in 2022

via Intuitive Machines, June 21, 2021

Communication between Earth and the Moon is a monumental 239,000-mile task, and Intuitive Machines (IM) is leading the way in pioneering this cislunar economic opportunity. IM selected a York Space Systems S-CLASS satellite with a lunar communications payload to launch on its upcoming IM-2 lunar South Pole mission scheduled for late 2022. The satellite will orbit the Moon to provide communications like a satellite that orbits Earth.

"Establishing the first node in a lunar communication and navigation network is the key to unlocking the next economic frontier, the cislunar economy," said IM President and CEO Steve Altemus.

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ARS TECHNICA: For lunar cargo delivery, NASA accepts risk in return for low prices

ARS TECHNICA, 5/3/2021

Standing on a runway in southeast Houston, Tim Crain had to raise his voice to be heard over the roar of a supersonic jet taking off in the distance.

The present and future have come together at the Houston Spaceport. On an almost daily basis, current NASA astronauts take T-38s out for flights to hone their flying skills or to jet across the country for mission training. A few hundred meters away from the main runway, Intuitive Machines is testing rocket engines to support lunar landings.

Crain is the chief technology officer for Houston-based Intuitive Machines, which is building landers to take cargo to the lunar surface. Intuitive Machines has a mixture of NASA and commercial contracts and has emerged as one of a new generation of mostly small companies seeking to extend the sphere of economic activity to the lunar surface.

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