Lunar Internet

384,400 km 1.3s delay

From Apollo's 51.2 kbps to Artemis laser beams at 260 Mbps - a 12,000x improvement. The Moon is about to get its first permanent internet infrastructure.

Best Speed

622 Mbps

LLCD laser demo, 2013

One-Way Delay

1.3 sec

Speed of light

Artemis II

260 Mbps

O2O laser, April 2026

Nokia 4G

Tested

March 2025, 25 min

LunaNet

2028-30

Permanent internet

Moon Internet Evolution: 12,000x Faster in 54 Years

From the first words from the Moon to gigabit laser links - how lunar communication has evolved.

Era Mission Year Data Rate Technology Improvement
Radio Era Apollo 11 1969 51.2 kbps S-band radio Baseline
Laser Demo LADEE / LLCD 2013 622 Mbps Laser (optical) 12,148x
Return Artemis I 2022 ~10 Mbps X-band radio 195x
Surface 4G IM-1 / Nokia 2025 LTE speeds 4G/LTE surface First surface network
Artemis Laser Artemis II / O2O 2026 260 Mbps Laser via LCRD relay 5,078x
Permanent LunaNet + Moonlight 2028-30 Multi-Gbps Relay constellation 100,000x+

The Lunar Internet Race: Who Will Be the Moon's ISP?

Five competing systems from three space agencies and two commercial players. The Moon is getting its own internet service providers.

Provider System Satellites Status Timeline Contract Value
Intuitive Machines Khonstellation (NASA NSNS) 5 relay sats Building First 2026, full 2029 $4.82B
ESA Moonlight Lunar Pathfinder + constellation 4-5 sats Building Pathfinder Nov 2026 EUR 176M+
China Queqiao Queqiao-1 (L2) + Queqiao-2 (orbit) 2 operational Active Operational since 2018/2024 Undisclosed
Nokia Bell Labs Lunar LTE/5G surface network Surface base stations Tested Tested March 2025 NASA Tipping Point

Could You Use the Internet from the Moon?

At 1.3 seconds one-way delay (2.6s round-trip), some things work great. Others... not so much.

✓

Email & messaging

Works perfectly. 2.6s delivery is faster than most people type a reply.

✓

Streaming video

Yes - 622 Mbps proven. Once buffered, Netflix would work fine from the Moon.

~

Video calls

Technically works, but 2.6s round-trip makes conversation awkward. You'll constantly talk over each other.

~

Web browsing

Every click takes 2.6 seconds to load. Usable but requires patience. Pre-fetching would help.

✗

Online gaming

2,600ms ping. Absolutely no competitive gaming. Turn-based games would be fine though.

✗

Real-time trading

2.6 seconds is an eternity in financial markets. Forget about day trading from the Moon.

Try the latency calculator to simulate Moon delay →

Related

ISS Internet

How astronauts get 600 Mbps in LEO today

Mars Internet

3-22 minute delays - the next frontier

Starlink

Uses similar laser inter-satellite links

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there internet on the Moon?
Not yet as a permanent service, but it's been demonstrated multiple times. In 2013, NASA's LLCD proved 622 Mbps laser communication from lunar orbit. In March 2025, Nokia tested 4G/LTE on the lunar surface (it worked for 25 minutes before the lander lost power). China's Queqiao-2 relay satellite has provided communication to the far side of the Moon since March 2024. Permanent lunar internet via NASA's LunaNet and ESA's Moonlight is expected by 2028-2030.
How fast is internet from the Moon?
The fastest demonstrated Moon-to-Earth data link was 622 Mbps via laser (NASA LLCD, 2013). Artemis II will test 260 Mbps laser communications from lunar distance in 2026. For context, Apollo managed just 51.2 kbps in 1969 - a 12,000x improvement over 54 years. Future LunaNet infrastructure targets multi-gigabit capacity.
How long is the delay from Moon to Earth?
Light takes 1.25 to 1.35 seconds to travel between the Moon and Earth (average 1.3 seconds one way). A round-trip message takes about 2.6 seconds. This means video calls would work but with a noticeable delay - like talking over each other on a bad Zoom connection. Web browsing would work, but every click takes 2.6 seconds to respond.
Will the Moon have 4G?
Yes - Nokia Bell Labs successfully tested 4G/LTE on the lunar surface during the IM-1 mission in March 2025. The system transmitted data for about 25 minutes before the Odysseus lander tipped over and lost power. Nokia is planning enhanced lunar LTE/5G systems for future Artemis surface missions. The technology is proven; it just needs a lander that stays upright.
When will LunaNet be operational?
NASA's LunaNet framework, co-developed with ESA and JAXA (spec version 5 published January 2025), will roll out incrementally. Intuitive Machines is launching the first commercial relay satellite in 2026 under a $4.82 billion NASA contract. ESA's Lunar Pathfinder launches November 2026. Full LunaNet operational capability with multiple relay satellites is targeted for 2029-2030.
Who will be the Moon's first ISP?
Intuitive Machines is building the Moon's first commercial communication relay network (Khonstellation) under a $4.82 billion NASA contract. ESA's Moonlight program is creating a separate constellation led by Surrey Satellite Technology. China already operates Queqiao-2 for far-side communications. So the race is on - three competing systems from three space agencies, plus Nokia providing surface networks.

Sources

  1. NASA - LunaNet Interoperability Specification v5 - accessed 2026-03-25
  2. NASA - LLCD Mission (622 Mbps from Moon) - accessed 2026-03-25
  3. NASA - Artemis II O2O Optical Communications - accessed 2026-03-25
  4. Nokia - Lunar Surface LTE/5G - accessed 2026-03-25
  5. ESA - Moonlight Programme - accessed 2026-03-25
  6. CNSA - Queqiao-2 Relay Satellite - accessed 2026-03-25
  7. Intuitive Machines - NSNS Contract ($4.82B) - accessed 2026-03-25
  8. NASA Apollo Communications (S-band, 51.2 kbps) - accessed 2026-03-25
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