# Technology Trends for Massive MIMO towards 6G
## 8 Massive MIMO for Non-Terrestrial and Deep-Space Communications
In May 2021, Google clinched a deal to provide Starlink with networking resources, utilizing its private fiber-optic network for swift cloud connections. Instead of outsourcing, SpaceX will incorporate ground stations in Google's data centers for secure, intelligent connectivity. Likewise, in 2020, Microsoft joined forces with SpaceX to link Starlink with its global network, including Azure edge devices, aiming to facilitate satellite connectivity for field-deployed assets worldwide. Amazon Web Services, offering sophisticated cloud computing platforms, is positioned to integrate with Amazon's LEO satellite constellation, Project Kuiper. These technological developments underpin the critical role of massive MIMO in future satellite communications. Massive MIMO systems can further improve the efficiency and performance of these AI-powered and cloud-integrated satellite networks by offering superior capacity, link reliability, beam and interference management, and spectrum efficiency improvement. The combination of these advanced technologies will shape the future of spaceborne broadband connectivity, thereby further promoting a more prosperous space era. Thus, it is anticipated that we will see a rise in the number of cloud/edge computing and AI-empowered satellite constellations in 2023 and beyond, ultimately emphasizing the profound importance and potential of massive MIMO in this domain. The insights and discourse presented thus far are rooted in communication scenarios that exist within the confines of the Near-Earth Space (NES). The NES, by definition, encompasses the region stretching from the neutral terrestrial atmospheric layers (160-200 km) up to the lunar orbit, approximately 384,400 km away [59]. However, the potential application areas of massive MIMO communication are not strictly limited to these parameters and can be extended to encompass broader and more distant domains presented as follows. * **Broader NTN Networks**: From a more encompassing standpoint, there is a growing trend where NGSO megaconstellations are increasingly supplementing or effectively co-operating with geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) networks, high altitude platform systems, air-to-ground networks, drone networks, maritime networks and even beyond as illustrated in Figure 6. The actualization of such an expansive NTN ecosystem may pose significant challenges, including managing the co-existence and competition between networks and fostering the development of massive MIMO technologies tailored to various types of applications. In contrast, the reach of space-enabled networks and massive MIMO is expected to extend beyond the near-Earth space. To illustrate, NOKIA Bell Labs is slated to construct and launch the first compact, low-power, space-durable, end-to-end LTE network on the Moon as part of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon by 2024 [60, 61]. This ground-breaking endeavor establishes the vital communication bedrock that future massive MIMO technology must evolve to meet the demands of prospective Earth-Moon communications. * **Massive MIMO in Deep Space**: Anticipating humanity's transition to a multiplanetary existence [62], the deployment of telecommunication infrastructure and massive MIMO technologies becomes essential in accommodating more distant celestial bodies. As proposed in the Solar Communication and Defense Networks (SCADN) concept [63], a comprehensive massive MIMO sensing and communications system, rooted in an interconnected network of countless spacecraft and satellites strewn across the solar system, presents a promising solution as illustrated in Figure 7. This integrated framework offers capabilities for early threat identification and neutralization (for instance, hazardous asteroids or comets), thus safeguarding both our home planet and potential extraterrestrial human outposts. Furthermore, it lays the groundwork for wireless connectivity across the solar system, a critical infrastructure as humans venture into establishing colonies on other celestial bodies.