NASA and Nokia Bell Labs just pulled off a huge first: setting up a working 4G network on the Moon. But before anyone could make the first-ever lunar phone call, the mission ended in disaster. The lander, sent by private space company Intuitive Machines, crash-landed, tipped over, and lost power—cutting the whole thing short.
4G on the Moon—For 25 minutes
The Nokia-powered 4G LTE system was part of the IM-2 mission, launched on 26 February on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The goal? To test if a regular cellular network could work in space and help future Moon missions. And it did—kind of.
On 6 March, after landing, the system powered up, connected to Earth, and started sending and receiving data. That alone was a big win, proving that off-the-shelf mobile tech could handle the Moon’s harsh conditions. But there was one big problem: nobody got to make a call.
Why? The lander didn’t stick the landing. Instead of touching down smoothly on a plateau at Mons Mouton, it ended up inside a crater, tipping over on its side. That put it way too close to the lunar south pole, where temperatures are brutally cold. The solar panels couldn’t get enough sunlight to recharge the battery, and after just 25 minutes of operation, the whole system went dark.
A mission cut short
Athena, the dishwasher-sized lander carrying Nokia’s tech, was supposed to last about a week. It had a bunch of other cool experiments on board, including two rovers and a drone meant to explore the landing site. But thanks to the crash, none of them could deploy.
Intuitive Machines later confirmed that the lander’s battery had fully drained, officially ending the mission. This was their second Moon mission—on their first attempt in February 2024, the lander also tipped over but still managed to function for a while. This time, not so much.
A win for space tech
Despite the mission failure, the fact that 4G actually worked on the Moon is a huge deal. Nokia’s tech proved it could handle space, which is key for future Moon bases, robotic missions, and even astronauts looking to stay connected.
Sure, this mission didn’t go as planned, but it’s a solid step toward making the Moon more habitable for future explorers. Next time, maybe they’ll even get that first lunar phone call in.
