NASA Announces Selections for Lunar Comms, Network Studies | Space

NASA has selected Intuitive Machines of Houston and Aalyria Technologies Inc. of Livermore, California, to perform capability studies with the goal of advancing space communications and exploration technologies. These studies will allow NASA to gain insights into industry capabilities and innovations to facilitate NASA partnerships with commercial communications and navigation providers.

The awards, under the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships-2 (Next STEP-2) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Appendix Q, are firm fixed-price milestone-based contracts.

Intuitive Machines is awarded $647,600 — Study Area No. 1, Lunar User Terminals and Network Orchestration — to conduct state-of-the-art studies and demonstrations for a dual-purpose navigation and communication lunar surface user terminal. The terminal will support lunar surface exploration planning and ensure interoperability with future LunaNet compatible service providers working in partnership with NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), and other space agencies.

Aalyria Technologies is awarded $393,004 — Study Area No. 2, Network Orchestration and Management System (NOMS) — to provide NASA with insights on advanced Network Orchestration and Management Systems that effectively address NASA’s need to integrate into multiple commercial and government communication service providers supporting the Near…