Flight

Altus-1

Name: Altus-1
Start: 2027
Location: Lunar orbit

Q1 2027 · Altus-1 · planned

NASA Near Space Network

Altus-1 is Intuitive Machines' first lunar relay satellite and the first of a planned network under its Near Space Network Services contract with NASA. NASA delivered NavCube3-mini, a 3.5-pound navigation receiver that uses GPS and Galileo signals, to Intuitive Machines for Altus-1 on July 13, 2026.

Lunar/cislunar orbit relay for communications and navigation, including south polar coverage where direct-to-Earth links are difficult.

Stack

PrimeIntuitive Machines

VehicleAltus-1

Launch vehicleFalcon 9 Block 5

SiteLunar orbit

Themes

Tech demosHardware and software proving themselves in the real lunar environment before becoming standard kit.

Earth prep · AIT & integrationBuilding and qualifying the stack on Earth: assembly, integration, test, and payload hang before launch.

Lasers, mapping & navigationLidar, cameras, retroreflectors, and landing navigation.

Comms & dataLinks, relays, surface networks, and compute: moving data between Earth, orbit, and the surface.

Vehicle systems & materialsEngines, tanks, seals, thermal protection, structure, electrical power, and avionics in the vehicle stack.

Companies

Prime

Intuitive MachinesIM acquisition of Goonhilly Earth Station + COMSAT (lunar/deep-space ground)

Named on this flight

NASANavCube3-mini (GSFC) on Altus-1

Goonhilly Earth StationIM acquisition of Goonhilly Earth Station + COMSAT (lunar/deep-space ground)

Jobs

IM acquisition of Goonhilly Earth Station + COMSAT (lunar/deep-space ground)

Intuitive Machines signed to acquire Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd and Goonhilly USA (dba COMSAT) on 14 May 2026, and closed on 3 Aug 2026. · Goonhilly Earth Station · Intuitive Machines

NASA NavCube3-mini GNSS navigation payload (Altus-1)

NASA delivered NavCube3-mini to Intuitive Machines on 13 Jul 2026 for integration into Altus-1, IM's first lunar relay satellite under Near Space Network Services. · NASA · NASA

NavCube3-mini (GSFC) on Altus-1

Goddard GNSS receiver (~1.6 kg / 3.5 lb) delivered to IM 13 Jul 2026 for Altus-1 integration. · NASA · NASA

Cargo

NavCube3-mini

Demo for navigation. NASA Goddard NavCube3-mini is a compact navigation receiver. · NASA · NASA

Hardware

NavCube3-miniNASA

Related flights

IM-1 Odysseus2024-02-15 · Intuitive Machines

IM-2 Athena2025-02-27 · Intuitive Machines

IM-3 TrinityEarly 2027 · Intuitive Machines

IM-4Late 2027 · Intuitive Machines

IM-6By end of 2028 · Intuitive Machines

IM-5 Nova-D2030 · Intuitive Machines

Launch date

Q1 2027

The public launch window as the source states it. No exact date is public.

Add the lunar flight calendar Apple Calendar and Outlook open this link directly. Google Calendar: add it to Google Calendar, or choose Other calendars, then From URL, and paste https://moonimports.com/calendar/lunar-flights.ics. Each flight moves in your calendar when its date changes.

Sources

Intuitive machines completes acquisition goonhilly earth station Intuitive Machines
Intuitive Machines (LUNR) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript The Motley Fool, 20 August 2026
Intuitive machines acquire goonhilly earth station and comsat Intuitive Machines
NASA Delivers Navigation System for Commercial Lunar Relay NASA, 3 August 2026
Moon Base Phases NASA, 26 May 2026
Lunar mGNSS - NASA NASA
SEC.gov | Your Request Originates from an Undeclared Automated Tool sec.gov

This is the public record. Companies and jobs a source named.

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