Have you ever thought of communicating with someone who's on the moon? If you haven't, then you can start now because a German startup company is planning to put the first telecommunication structures on the surface of the moon.
LTE On The Moon
The German startup may be named Part Time Scientists (PTScientists), but their goals are certainly fit for full-time scientists. This is because the startup is aiming to build the first ever telecommunication structures on the moon. This means that it could be possible in the near future to easily communicate with an astronaut on the moon with the help of an LTE base station.
"We are cooperating with Vodafone in order to provide LTE base stations on the moon," said Karsten Becker from PTScientists.
This endeavor is a part of the startup's efforts to provide commercial services to the moon. If all goes according to plan, PTScientists will be able to launch their two rovers aboard the Falcon 9 rocket by late 2018.
Part Time Scientists, Audi, And Vodafone
PTScientists was initially a competitor in the Google X Prize race to the moon. Their plans involve sending their Audi lunar quattro rovers to the moon to explore the landing site of Apollo 17, the last Apollo mission before the budget for the program was cut. With the help of the LTE base station, the two rovers can easily communicate the data gathered back to earth.
In case you were wondering, yes, apart from Vodafone, PTScientists' other partner for the project is indeed the carmaker Audi. It is with the help of the carmaker that PTScientists is developing the two rovers that are complete with four-wheel-drive capacity and solar power, may be controlled from Earth, has the capability for LTE data communication, navigating difficult terrains, and carrying a payload of up to 5 kilograms.
With the help of the two rovers, PTScientists will be able to see what has happened to the last Apollo mission in its over 40 years of stay on the surface of the moon.
PTScientists expects that the company will be the first private entity to reach the moon. The team is already preparing for a second launch, possibly by the year 2020.
Vorsprung Durch Technik
PTScientists, Vodafone, and Audi's mission to the moon utilizes Audi's popular slogan "Vorsprung durch Technik," which literally translates to "advancement through technology." The team of scientists and engineers has been hard at work for the past eight years in Berlin to realize their dream of reaching the moon.
"This is a story about daring to dream, doing things others laugh off as impossible, and following your passion. It's about innovation trying, failing — and trying again."
