Indian-origin expert helming first 4G network on Moon for NASA

New Delhi, March 7

Indian-origin Nishant Batra working as Chief Strategy and Technology Officer (CSTO) at smartphone maker Nokia is helping NASA to build the first ever cellular network on the Moon.

Batra joined Nokia as CSTO and a member of the Nokia Group Leadership Team in January 2021.

He holds an MBA from INSEAD, a master's degree in telecommunications and a master's degree in computer science from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and a bachelor's degree in computer applications from Devi Ahilya University in India.

Prior to joining the telecommunications major, Batra worked at Veoneer in Sweden, as Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. He had also spent 12 years at Ericsson holding several positions.

Batra is based in Espoo, Finland, and has lived and worked in Asia, Europe and the US.

At Nokia, Batra's responsibilities include managing technology architecture and pioneering research at Nokia Bell Labs whose innovations will be used to build and deploy the first ultra-compact, low-power, space-hardened, end-to-end LTE solution on the lunar surface in late 2022.

NASA is looking to regain its presence on the lunar surface with its uncrewed Artemis mission slated for launch in May this year and crewed mission in 2026.

In October last year, the US space agency selected Nokia as a partner to advance "Tipping Point" technologies for the Moon, deploying the first LTE/4G communications system in space and helping pave the way towards sustainable human presence on the lunar surface. These communication applications are all vital to long-term human presence on the lunar surface.

Nokia's lunar network has been specially designed to withstand the harsh conditions of the launch and lunar landing, and to operate in the extreme conditions of space. IANS