NASA is building a 4G network on the moon before 2022

The race was already on between the two billionaires to pioneer the first constellation of low-orbit satellites for faster and more consistent internet speeds on Earth, but securing a partnership with NASA to facilitate the first expedition to the moon in five decades is an accomplishment neither will be keen to pass up. As it stands, Musk is odds on favourite – having received $53 million already from NASA for a demonstration involving the storing of ten metric tons of liquid oxygen on a starship vehicle.

Congratulations @SpaceX & @NASA on completing first crewed Dragon flight!! 🇺🇸 returned.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 2, 2020

So, is Mars exploration being put on the backburner then? In-fact, it’s quite the opposite. According to Jim Bridenstine, an administrator at NASA, harvesting cryogenic fluids from the moon is key to creating habitable pods on the Red Planet if we’re to embark on crewed research missions in the near future. Establishing a presence on the moon will allow us to farm these essential materials, whilst testing the capability of 4G/5G technology beyond our earthly dwelling.

Whilst all of this is undoubtedly cool, it is strange to think that we’re probably closer to having quality internet connections on an empty planet, than we are to providing decent broadband for the millions in developing and impoverished communities that could really use it. In a PR sense, it’s not great.

There are promising initiatives, such as Google owned-The Moonshot Factory’s ‘Loon,’ which provided steady internet to over 200,000 people during Hurricane Maria through a fleet of 4G balloons travelling 12 miles up in the stratosphere. Microsoft’s underwater server experiment proved a resounding success in bringing increased connectivity to coastal regions in 2020, and as previously mentioned, Musk and Bezos continue to launch more internet satellites into low orbit every year.

We’re not neglecting the need to address the broadband disparity that still exists in big old 2020, but perhaps a priority alignment is in order.

If I see an astronaut performing a TikTok dance on the moon in 2024, Twitter will need cryogenic treatment to combat the fire I’m bringing.