Like shelter, food and life support, communications are crucial for future space exploration. Astronauts need communications to collect and analyze data, share information, and control operations. Cellular networks will lay the foundation for a future lunar or Martian internet. Looking toward a future space economy, Nokia Bell Labs is deploying the first cellular network on the Moon, as part of the IM-2 mission for NASA. The mission is complex, but the goal is simple - proving that the same technology that connects us on Earth meets the needs for future missions to the Moon and Mars.