While no construction plans are currently in the works, GITAI USA Inc., headquartered in Torrance, CA, has begun testing equipment that would allow it to build a cell tower in a lunar environment. In conjunction with Japanese telecommunications operator, KDDI Corporation, the partners have announced that they have successfully completed their first project on a makeshift moon.
Using robotics technology and limiting themselves to GITAI equipment, the pair say they were able to construct a 16.4-ft cell tower. Military-Aerospace Electronics reports that the equipment used included a Lunar Rover and three Inchworm robots using “grapple end-effectors” on both ends of their arms to act as ersatz hands.
The test was designed to make efficient use of a limited amount of available technology focused on accomplishing a specific task. KDDI contributed the specs for the mobile phone base station on the Earth. The moon unit mimicked the current Earth-based unit, noted Military-Aerospace Electronics.
For its part, GITAI developed the communication antenna dedicated to enable the robotic construction. The company noted that its equipment can function in a 1G environment, allowing ample test opportunities before committing to a true moon deployment.
In this initial test, the team was able to instruct the robotic elements to construct the communications tower, rig up antennas and cabling, and dissemble the structure at the completion of the test. Although this is sure to be the first of many tests, the partners indicated that they were pleased with the results, which suggest a sustainable method for lunar development.
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency selected this project in December 2023 for its 10-Year Lunar Architecture capability study.
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