Intuitive Machines announced on August 13 that it had won a contract worth more than $600 million to build three geostationary-orbit communications satellites for an undisclosed customer. The company said the contract would be carried out over 30 months, without providing additional details about the customer or the nature of the mission.
Intuitive Machines disclosed the contract as part of its second-quarter financial results, explaining that it had signed the agreement in June. Steve Altemus, the company’s chief executive, confirmed during an earnings conference that demand for the IM 1300 satellite platform, which has demonstrated operational readiness, remains strong in the commercial space market.
Expansion Beyond Lunar Projects
Intuitive Machines is primarily known for its lunar landers and moon-related projects, but it has also been manufacturing geostationary-orbit satellites since acquiring Lanteris Space Systems late last year, a company formerly known as Maxar Space Systems. The company produces these satellites using the platform formerly called the 1300 series, now known as the IM 1300.
Altemus did not clarify whether the contract was related to the reorganization of the upper portion of the C-band used for satellite communications. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission approved last month the clearing of 160 megahertz of this band for terrestrial applications, with satellite operators Eutelsat, SES and Telesat receiving more than $6 billion in exchange for clearing it.
Under the clearing process, satellite operators must move services using the affected band to the remaining portion of the C-band or to other frequencies. SES, by far the largest user of this band, said it plans to deploy seven hybrid satellites operating in the C- and Ku-bands. A company executive also told the Federal Communications Commission in June that SES was actively negotiating contracts for satellites and launches. Eutelsat and Telesat have not disclosed any new satellites they intend to purchase as part of this process.
More Than 80 Spacecraft Under Contract
In addition to the three new IM 1300 satellites, Intuitive Machines has orders for more than 70 smaller IM 300 satellites, which are also manufactured through Lanteris’s former operations. These orders include 18 satellites announced on August 4 for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 3 accelerated missile-defense program, ordered by prime contractor L3Harris.
Altemus said the total number of spacecraft the company is working on under contracts exceeds 80, including IM 300 and IM 1300 satellites, as well as lunar landers, lunar communications satellites and other vehicles intended for specific missions, such as the Nebula orbital transfer vehicle. He added that the company is working to increase its production capacity, including expanding its facilities at its Houston headquarters to produce lunar vehicles, while it has not yet exhausted the full production capacity of the IM 300 line in California.
Accelerating Deployment of the Lunar Communications Constellation
The company also provided an update on five satellites forming a lunar communications constellation. The first satellite, Altus-1, is scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2027 as a rideshare payload on a Falcon 9 rocket, as part of the launch mission for the IM-3 lunar lander.
The other four satellites, which had been planned to launch in the same manner through subsequent lander missions, will now launch on a dedicated mission in 2028. Altemus said this change would accelerate completion of the constellation’s deployment, which under the previous plan would have taken until 2029 or 2030, enabling the satellites to support lunar landing missions under the Artemis program.
He explained that the company is negotiating with NASA to launch the four satellites together on an independent mission, but he did not disclose details of the negotiations or any additional costs the company might bear. Intuitive Machines owns these satellites and intends to provide communications services to NASA and other entities under a model based on payment per minute.