NASA has announced the landing site of the lunar lander that should bring 4G to the moon in 2022, among other things.

Although the moon has lost out for a while, our natural satellite is now back in full swing. And how. In the coming years, several missions will be undertaken, the absolute highlight being a second manned moon landing. The first preparations are already being made for this. Because next year NASA will send a robot lander to the moon that will also install internet there.

PRIME-1

The lunar lander – called Nova-C – that will arrive on the moon in late 2022, consists of three different components. The first instrument is a drill combined with a mass spectrometer, which bears the name PRIME-1. This drill will drill about a meter deep into the lunar soil and bring regolith to the lunar surface for water analysis. The mass spectrometer will measure volatile gases that easily escape from the material excavated by the drill.

Micronova

Also on board is Micro-Nova; a deployable robot developed by the American company Intuitive Machines that will ‘hop’ over the lunar surface. The lunar hopper will explore nearby craters by taking photos and collecting scientific data. When this instrument has proven itself in practice, in the future scientists will have the opportunity to equip a hopper with their own small scientific instruments, such as cameras, seismometers, etc.

4G network

But perhaps the most striking thing about the moon mission is that NASA has selected the telecommunications company Nokia to build a real 4G network on the moon. A small rover will venture nearly two kilometers away and test Nokia’s wireless network at various distances. The rover will communicate with the base station on the lunar lander, which will then send the data back to Earth. And if this 4G network also proves itself, future moon rovers can of course make good use of this internet connection, for example by communicating with each other and the earth. In addition, astronauts can even admire and send HD images of the surface of the moon to each other.

landing spot

NASA has now announced where this whole spectacle will take place. That was quite a search, by the way. For example, the area must be bathed in enough sunlight to power the lander for a mission of about ten days. At the same time, the landing site must be clearly visible to the earth for good and constant communication. “It was also quite a challenge to find a landing site where we could find ice within half a meter below the surface,” said researcher Jackie Quinn. “We really had to look for a place that would get just enough sunlight to meet the mission requirements, while also being a safe place to land.”

Shackleton Crater

But NASA thinks it has found the perfect place. For example, the lunar lander will travel to the south pole of the moon and set foot on a ridge not far from Shackleton Crater. And this is a very interesting place, because it fulfills all three requirements. In addition, this landing site is close to a small crater, which in turn is ideal for the moon hopper.

This photo shows the ridge not far from Shackleton — the large crater on the right — where the Nova-C lander will land next year. The conditions at this location offer the best chance of success for the three technologies that will be tested during the mission. Image: NASA

All in all, this exciting mission will test interesting technologies that are critical to establishing a permanent human occupation on the moon. “These early demonstrations will provide valuable information about working on and exploring the lunar surface,” concluded NASA’s Niki Werkheiser. And that brings that long-awaited second manned moon landing and a permanent moon base, of course one step closer.