NASA delivered the NavCube3-mini navigation payload on July 13 to Intuitive Machines for integration into Altus-1, the company’s first lunar relay satellite. The delivery marks a key step in developing commercial communications and navigation services for future missions to the Moon.
The compact navigation receiver weighs 3.5 pounds and measures about half the size of a shoebox. Operating on under 20 watts of power—roughly the same as a laptop computer—the device processes signals from Earth-based GPS and Galileo Global Navigation Satellite Systems at lunar distances to determine a spacecraft's precise position beyond Earth orbit.
Engineers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, developed the receiver to extend satellite navigation into deep space. Altus-1 represents the initial spacecraft in a planned network of lunar relay satellites being built under Intuitive Machines’ Near Space Network Services contract with NASA.
The planned relay network will support astronauts, orbiters, landers, and rovers operating on the Moon, particularly near the lunar South Pole. Direct radio communication between the Moon's South Pole and Earth can be difficult, making orbital relay coverage critical for Artemis astronauts landing there in 2028.
Testing and Demonstration
Before shipment to Intuitive Machines, NASA Goddard subjected the NavCube3-mini payload to an extensive environmental and performance testing campaign. Environmental evaluations included vibration testing to simulate launch conditions, thermal vacuum testing to mimic space conditions, and electromagnetic compatibility testing to ensure reliable operation alongside other spacecraft systems.
Testing teams evaluated the receiver using high-fidelity simulations of GPS and Galileo signals both before and after each environmental test. Aboard Altus-1, the NavCube3-mini payload will serve as a key technology demonstration, gathering operational performance data to guide future lunar navigation infrastructure across both commercial and agency networks.
