On July 13, 2026, NASA delivered the NavCube3-mini navigation device to Intuitive Machines for integration into the Altus-1 satellite, the company’s first lunar relay satellite and the first of the satellites it plans to develop under its Near Space Network Services contract with the agency. The delivery represents a practical step toward building communications and navigation infrastructure dedicated to missions operating around and on the Moon.
NavCube3-mini was designed to receive signals from the Global Positioning System, GPS, and Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation system at lunar distances. The payload unit is about half the size of a shoebox, while weighing only 3.5 pounds and consuming less than 20 watts of power, approximately the consumption of a laptop computer. According to NASA, the unit can determine a spacecraft’s position far beyond Earth orbit.
A Network to Support Communications and Navigation Around the Moon
Altus-1 will carry the device as part of a network of lunar relay satellites that is expected to provide communications and navigation services for spacecraft and missions operating in the lunar region. This includes the Moon’s south polar region, where Artemis astronauts are scheduled to land in 2028, an area from which direct communications with Earth may be difficult.
Relay satellites act as a link between spacecraft near the Moon or on its surface and terrestrial communications networks. Expanding coverage and improving positioning services would support the operation of orbiters, landers, and rovers, and later astronauts, within a more connected lunar environment.
Testing Before Delivery
At NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, NavCube3-mini underwent an environmental and performance testing campaign before being shipped to Intuitive Machines. The tests included:
- Vibration tests to simulate launch conditions.
- Thermal-vacuum tests to simulate extreme temperatures and the vacuum of space.
- Electromagnetic compatibility tests to ensure that the unit could operate alongside other systems without causing or being affected by electromagnetic interference.
NASA conducted performance tests before and after each environmental test, using high-fidelity simulations of the GPS and Galileo signals the unit will encounter in lunar orbit to verify its functions and performance throughout the campaign.
Why Does This Development Matter?
NavCube3-mini is not so much a complete operational service as it is an important technology demonstration. The mission will practically test whether signals from global navigation systems, which were originally designed primarily to serve regions near Earth, can be used to determine spacecraft positions at lunar distances. The resulting performance data will provide a foundation for developing future lunar navigation infrastructure.
The experiment falls within NASA’s strategy to build communications and navigation services that combine government networks with commercial providers. As the number of spacecraft and missions around the Moon increases, this infrastructure could help operate them with greater safety, efficiency, and autonomy, while supporting the agency’s goal of a sustained human presence on the lunar surface.