The day is probably not far away when the moon will have its own mobile tower. A German Startup dubbed PTScientists (formerly Part Time Scientists) is currently working on its plan to deploy the same cellular technology that is presently used on Earth to transmit data from one point to another. The startup is highly optimistic about the success of its mission which, according to the team, would make it possible to communicate easily with astronauts on a moon mission or live-streaming the video of rovers while they are exploring the surface of Moon.

The startup also expects to be the first private company to reach the Moon and build a mobile tower on it.

Audi Quattro lunar rovers will use mobile towers to send data back to Earth

According to a report published in the BloombergQuint, researchers at PTScientists have designed Audi Quattro lunar rovers in partnership with Audi. These rovers will use the tower’s network (on the Moon) to transmit the data back to Earth. Although NASA’s lunar probes are able to transmit data back to ground stations, a major problem with them is that they consume a lot of power, and also need to stand still while transmitting data to Earth. Robert Boehme, Chief Executive Officer of the startup, says this issue can be fixed by building a separate LTE cellular tower on the lunar surface that would make the rovers far more power-efficient.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will take rovers and tower equipment on Moon

PTScientists has also joined hands with American space company SpaceX to secure a spot on its reusable Falcon 9 rocket. The startup wants SpaceX to assist them in launching of their lunar rovers and erecting a cellular tower on Moon. If all goes as plan, the startup may get a chance to launch its two rovers on the Falcon 9 rocket in 2018.

PTScientists, which had earlier participated in Google X Prize competition, wants its lunar Quattro rovers to explore the landing site of Apollo 17 to see the changes experienced by the craft in the past 40 years during its stay on Moon.

The four-wheeled lunar Quattro rovers are equipped with solar cells and batteries and can be controlled from Earth.

They are capable of moving on difficult terrain and can easily carry a payload of about 5 kg.

The startup has also partnered with Vodafone for the cellular tower technology. According to BloombergQuint, business customers and academic partners of the startup are supporting it in this project. The startup has however refused to divulge details about these investors.
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