DARPA picks Nokia for LunA-10 program to shape infrastructure architecture for lunar economy

Nokia Bell Labs, the research arm of Nokia, has been selected by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to participate in the 10-Year Lunar Architecture (LunA-10) program to design communications services infrastructure framework for a thriving economy on the Moon in the next decade and beyond.

DARPA's LunA-10 initiative aims to deliver a comprehensive blueprint for establishing the infrastructure needed to support commercial operations on and around the lunar surface by 2035. The program will conclude in mid-2024.

Nokia is one of the 14 companies selected by DARPA to launch LunA-10. The selection was based on Nokia's expertise in designing future network architectures and leadership in lunar surface communication technologies.

Commenting on this development, Thierry E. Klein, President of Nokia Bell Labs Solutions Research, said, "Nokia Bell Labs is thrilled to play a key role in DARPA's next game-changing endeavor and help shape the infrastructure architecture for the lunar economy. Pushing the frontiers of technology is in Bell Labs’ DNA, and by creating the communication solutions blueprint for the Moon, we will help establish the foundations of a permanent human presence on the lunar surface."

As a LunA-10 program participant, Nokia Bell Labs will be responsible for recommending a reliable, high-performance communications infrastructure, and it will also work closely with other LunA-10 companies to ensure that infrastructure may be efficiently transported and built on the lunar surface and that it would have reliable power sources once installed.

Nokia Bell Labs has a rich legacy in space exploration, dating back to its collaboration with NASA in launching Telstar 1, followed by several other crewed U.S. space programs.

Furthermore, in 2024, Nokia will be deploying the first cellular network on the Moon as part of NASA's Tipping Point initiative. The deployment will prove that 3GPP-based technology can meet the critical communications needs of future missions to the Moon and Mars.