Streaming And Texting On The Moon: NASA And Nokia Are Taking 4G Into Space

Texting on the Moon? Streaming on Mars? It may not be as far away as you think.

That’s the shared vision of NASA and Nokia, who have partnered to set up a cellular network on the Moon to help lay the building blocks for long-term human presence on other planets.

A SpaceX rocket is due to launch this year — the exact date has yet to be confirmed — carrying a simple 4G network to the Moon. The lander will install the system at the Moon’s south pole and then it will be remotely controlled from Earth.

“The first challenge to getting a network up and running is having a space-qualified cellular equipment that meets the appropriate size, weight, and power requirements, as well as being deployed without a technician,” Walt Engelund, deputy associate administrator for programs at NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, told CNN. No less of a challenge, it will need to operate in the harsh lunar environment of extreme temperatures and radiation.

The 4G network unit is being built by Nokia’s Bell Labs using a range of off-the-shelf commercial components.

Party City Is Going Out Of Business

Party City is closing down all of its stores, ending nearly 40 years in business, CNN has learned. CEO Barry Litwin told corporate employees Friday in a meeting viewed by CNN that Party City is “winding down” operations immediately and that today will be their last day of employment. Staff were told they will not receive severance pay, and they were told their benefits would end as the company goes out of business.

“That is without question the most difficult message that I’ve ever had to deliver,” Litwin said at the meeting, which was held on a video conference call. Party City’s “very best efforts have not been enough to overcome” its financial challenges, he added, resulting in the company’s collapse. Litwin said the company struggled to contend with inflation, which sent the company’s costs higher and dragged down consumer spending.

“It’s really important for you to know that we’ve done everything possible that we could to try to avoid this outcome,” Litwin said. “Unfortunately, it’s necessary to commence a wind down process immediately.” Also on Friday, some of Party City’s store employees received letters that the company would close down stores on February 28, at which point store staff would be terminated.

US stocks close out the week on a high note

The S&P 500 rose 1.1% while the Nasdaq 100 and Russell 2000 advanced by 0.9% to end a bad week on a strong note. A subdued reading for November’s core PCE inflation helped alleviate investor worries about rising prices, a concern the Federal Reserve fanned the flames of earlier this week.

Breadth finally returned: for the first time this month, more S&P 500 stocks rose than fell, snapping the streak of 14 consecutive sessions with a negative advance-decline line. Every S&P 500 sector ETF was positive. Real estate, utilities, tech, and financials led the way. Consumer discretionary was a relative laggard, amid a 3.5% retreat in Tesla TSLA $423.28 (-3.57%). In fact, despite a 3.5% advance from Nvidia NVDA $135.24 (3.28%), the Magnificent 7’s 0.2% gain was its smallest of the year for a session in which the S&P 500 was up at least 1%.

After a 30% drop from its peak, MicroStrategy MSTR $370.48 (11.76%) rebounded with a massive 11.6% gain. Avocado seller Mission ProduceAVO $14.50 (17.29%) had its second-best day ever after posting record sales figures and comments from management suggesting the company was well-positioned to be able to navigate any potential trade levies that might be instituted by the incoming Trump administration.

• A million taxpayers will soon receive up to $1,400 from the IRS.

• The AI talent wars are just getting started.

• CFPB sues JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo over Zelle payment fraud.

• The FDA just approved Eli Lilly's Zepbound for sleep apnea.

Disney’s Bluey was the most watched show this year.