News sources stated that a device weighing less than one kilogram will be part of an out-of-this-world mission that will allow scientists to deliver 4G mobile coverage to the moon in 2019.
This device, known as the Ultra Compact Network, if successful, will provide the moon with its first ever mobile phone network.
The lunar network will support high-definition streaming of video and data between the moon and Earth, and is part of the Mission to the Moon, a project with the goal of landing the first privately paid for mission to the moon, according to Reuters.
Robert Böhme, the CEO and founder of PTScientists, a Berlin-based company that is part of the Mission to the moon project, said in a statement that “in order for humanity to leave the cradle of Earth, we need to develop infrastructures beyond our home planet.”
PTScientists is working with Vodaphone Germany and Audi to coordinate the Mission to the Moon. Vodaphone announced that Nokia will help it create the space-grade Ultra Compact Network.
The 4G mission is set to launch from Cape Canaveral on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in 2019, according to the statement.