Intuitive Machines Awarded New NASA Contracts to Connect the Moon

Intuitive Machines has been awarded two additional contracts for Direct-To-Earth communication services as part of NASA’s Near Space Network framework. The company will provide Geostationary to Cislunar DTE Services with data transmission capabilities and operations and xCislunar DTE Services for highly elliptical orbits and deep space operations.

The firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts are part of the general agreement for NASA’s NSN signed in September 2024 and worth up to $4.82 billion. The contract has a five-year base period that may be extended until September 30, 2034.

Intuitive Machines Expands Data Transmission Services for Lunar and Deep Space Missions.
#Space #NASA #Moon #hounews $LUNR https://t.co/2owcLW3sdE

— Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) December 23, 2024

“We are privileged to help NASA deliver essential data and transmission services that support missions navigating the critical pathways between Earth, the Moon, and beyond.”

— Steve Altemus, CEO of Intuitive Machines

Near Space Network, communicating up to two million kilometers

Composed of satellites in geosynchronous orbit and a global system of antennas on Earth’s surface, the Near Space Network (NSN) provides the communication of space missions of all kinds in the range of two million kilometers from the Earth, managing terabytes of data daily. Passing the two million kilometers radius, the service communication is delivered by the Deep Space Network (DSN).

Due to the increasing number of space missions planned in the next years in Near Earth space, NASA is expanding the NSN capabilities to support the growth of communication demand by leveraging commercial partners. While Intuitive Machines has been selected for the lunar mission communication, other companies like Kongsberg Satellite Services, SSC Space U.S. Inc., and Viasat, Inc. received awards to expand low-Earth orbit communication capabilities as part of a wider NSN contract extension.

Lunar Data Network, communicating with the Moon

Since the distance between Earth-Moon is around 400.000 kilometers, the NSN will handle all the communication for the lunar missions. Intuitive machines will support the NSN thanks to its Lunar Data Network (LDN), an integrated communication system providing line-of-sight and data relay services.

The main components of the LDN are:

• The Lunar Tracking, Telemetry, and Command (TT&C) Network (LTN), a grid of nine ground stations in seven locations to keep continuous line-of-sight communications with the Moon.
• The Data Relay Satellites (Khon), a fleet of satellites developed in collaboration with York Space Systems, owned and operated by Intuitive Machines; they will be delivered into various lunar orbits during the company’s rideshare missions.
• The Nova Control, operations center located at the company’s headquarters in Houston.

Intuitive Machines already proved its capabilities to transmit to and from the Moon during the first lunar mission, IM-1. During the mission, their Nova-C vehicle Odysseus continuously communicated with the Nova Control operations center, sending back valuable flight information and data of their customers’ payloads.

_{Cover image credits: Intuitive Machines}