{"id":46663,"date":"2026-07-27T18:39:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T10:39:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/building-the-connectivity-backbone-for-the-next-era-of-lunar-exploration\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T18:39:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T10:39:58","slug":"building-the-connectivity-backbone-for-the-next-era-of-lunar-exploration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/building-the-connectivity-backbone-for-the-next-era-of-lunar-exploration\/","title":{"rendered":"Building the Connectivity Backbone for the Next Era of Lunar Exploration"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\">Over the last half century, space-based assets have helped to provide terrestrial users with ubiquitous services like broadband communications and position, navigation and timing (PNT). But although we think of these services as space-based, they don\u2019t actually work in space \u2014 especially not in the area between Earth orbit and the Moon known as cislunar space, that is the new frontier for Artemis and other missions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are each pledging billions to kickstart a commercial ecosystem of lunar missions over the coming decade, but the critical foundation for that effort is replicating those taken-for-granted terrestrial services across the vast distances of cislunar space.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/VS_080126_DGTL_1-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"width: 120px; height: auto;\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/VS_080126_DGTL_1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/VS_080126_DGTL_1-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/VS_080126_DGTL_1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/VS_080126_DGTL_1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"fs-5 mt-0\">Explore the August 2026 Issue<\/h3>\n<p class=\"mb-0 fs-smaller text-balance\">Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<button class=\"btn btn-primary\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"offcanvas\" data-bs-target=\"#offcanvasMENU\" aria-controls=\"offcanvasExample\" aria-label=\"button\" style=\"white-space: nowrap;\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tView More <i class=\"bi bi-arrow-right-circle\"><\/i><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Multiple efforts are already underway on both sides of the Atlantic to build lunar satellite constellations, providing PNT and broadband communications for Artemis and other missions, and building out the infrastructure that could service future commercial activity on the Moon, like mining or low gravity manufacturing.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p5\"><b>Lunar PNT Key to Successful Landings<\/b><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p2\">Intuitive Machines, the Houston, Texas-based company that\u2019s put two landers on the Moon\u2019s surface, understands better than most the criticality of PNT data for lunar missions. Both of its landers tipped over after landing, owing in part to problems with the laser rangefinder that was one of the ways engineers tried to compensate for the absence of lunar PNT.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">\u201cOur first two missions gave us real flight experience in the most demanding operating environment on the Moon, the South Pole,\u201d Intuitive Machines President and CEO Stephen Altemus tells <i>Via Satellite.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><script>var AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a675e4d00973;googletag.cmd.push(function(){var AIMAP_29b58f13885ebf8ea6b032f958eb0748 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([992, 100], [[970, 90], [970, 250]]).addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_737ce075cc05dd766c8f8ea08f3faa73 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([1200, 100], [970, 250]).addSize([768, 100], [600, 300]).addSize([320, 100], [300, 250]).build();AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a675e4d00973 = googletag.defineSlot('\/987\/satellitetoday.com\/via-satellite-digital-issue-ads', [ [600, 300], [300, 250], [970, 250] ], 'div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a675e4d00974').defineSizeMapping(AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3).setCollapseEmptyDiv(true).addService(googletag.pubads());   });<\/script><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a675e4d00974'); });<\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">The company also used artificial intelligence algorithms to help the landers navigate the Moon\u2019s surface, comparing images from the vehicles\u2019 cameras with maps compiled by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">A lunar PNT constellation would \u201cadd another layer of independent navigation and timing data to the lunar operating environment,\u201d explains Altemus, making it easier and safer for lunar missions. Last year, NASA awarded Intuitive Machines a contract to build just such a lunar constellation. The Lunar Communications Relay and Navigation Systems (LCRNS) award is for a five-year term, extendable for another five years and with a maximum value of $4.82 billion. The first LCRNS satellite is slated for launch later this year, on the same mission as Intuitive Machines\u2019 third lunar lander.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_442489\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-442489\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-442489\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LCRNS-copy-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LCRNS-copy-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LCRNS-copy-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LCRNS-copy.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-442489\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Illustration of the Lunar Communications Relay and Navigation Systems (LCRNS) lunar relay<br \/>satellites. Photo: NASA\/Dave Ryan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">When complete, the five-satellite constellation will provide round-the-clock communications and PNT coverage of the area around the lunar South Pole, which is the region targeted for Artemis IV\u2019s landing early 2028 and for subsequent crewed and uncrewed missions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">The constellation will also cover large areas of the so-called dark side of the Moon, which gets the same amount of sunlight as the rest of the Moon, but is permanently turned away from Earth, meaning radio signals can\u2019t travel back and forth directly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">With accurate PNT data, \u201cyou can actually target your landing spot without having to do all the heavy compute of comparing those maps, which tend to drain the CPU power. We\u2019re maxed out in our flight computer and our ability to do any other computations when we\u2019re trying to navigate to a spot 50 meters wide,\u201d Altemus says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">In addition to PNT, the LCRNS constellation will also provide high bandwidth data relay and real time communications services for the Artemis lunar lander and rover and for other Moon missions like NASA\u2019s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, he adds. There will be S-band, X-band, and K-band capability relayed from the lunar surface to a network of Earth ground stations with the massive 30-plus meter dishes required to receive transmissions from more than 250,000 miles away.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">\u201cWe can get near real-time data, but not high-definition video real-time as it\u2019s occurring,\u201d Altemus says, because the \u201ctrunk line\u201d that connects the constellation to the ground stations didn\u2019t have sufficient bandwidth. The Artemis II mission was able to provide live-streaming high definition video using the Orion Optical Communications System (O2O). Developed by MIT\u2019s Lincoln Laboratory, O2O is a spotlight-sized payload that provided Artemis II with bandwidth of up to 260 megabits per second, using a laser, rather than radio waves, to carry data.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">As satellites in the LCRNS constellation become operational, they will be integrated into the Near Space Network (NSN) of ground stations and Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO) satellites managed by NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center.<\/p>\n<p><script>var AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a675e4d01542;googletag.cmd.push(function(){var AIMAP_29b58f13885ebf8ea6b032f958eb0748 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([992, 100], [[970, 90], [970, 250]]).addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_737ce075cc05dd766c8f8ea08f3faa73 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([1200, 100], [970, 250]).addSize([768, 100], [600, 300]).addSize([320, 100], [300, 250]).build();AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a675e4d01542 = googletag.defineSlot('\/987\/satellitetoday.com\/via-satellite-digital-issue-ads', [ [600, 300], [300, 250], [970, 250] ], 'div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a675e4d01543').defineSizeMapping(AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3).setCollapseEmptyDiv(true).addService(googletag.pubads());   });<\/script><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a675e4d01543'); });<\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">While the constellation is being built and launched, NASA missions will be able to use the services of a low-cost ESA-funded experimental British satellite called Lunar Pathfinder.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p5\"><b>A \u2018Pathfinder\u2019 to Lunar Communications<\/b><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p2\">Pathfinder will be Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd\u2019s&nbsp; and indeed Britain\u2019s first lunar mission, Lunar Program Lead Ben Hooper says \u2014 and the first-ever lunar communications satellite. It\u2019s funded by ESA to the tune of $23.5 million, along with $15.2 million in UK Space Agency development money, which is bargain basement pricing for a lunar mission.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">And Pathfinder is hitching a ride to the Moon in a manner befitting the scrappy and creative spirit of SSTL, considered by many to be the original \u201cNew Space\u201d company.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">An ESA-NASA memorandum of understanding essentially gives the satellite \u201ca free ride to the Moon\u201d as part of Firefly Aerospace\u2019s Blue Ghost lunar lander Mission Two, planned for late this year or next, Hooper says. \u201cIn return ESA has bartered our capacity to provide service to NASA for their missions for at least two years,\u201d Hooper said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_442491\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-442491\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-442491\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SSTL-Lunar_Pathfinder-ESA-credit-800x566.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"566\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SSTL-Lunar_Pathfinder-ESA-credit-800x566.png 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SSTL-Lunar_Pathfinder-ESA-credit-300x212.png 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SSTL-Lunar_Pathfinder-ESA-credit.png 1189w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-442491\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rendering of Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL)\u2019s Lunar Pathfinder satellite that will provide communications services around the Moon. Photo: SSTL<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Pathfinder was planned as a service for uncrewed research missions that needed asynchronous data transfer, he adds. It will communicate with the lunar surface via S-band and relay communications back to Earth ground stations in X-band.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Like the LCRNS constellation, Pathfinder will be in a Highly Elliptical Lunar Frozen Orbit (HELFO) \u2014 an orbit optimized for long-term<br \/>\nstability and providing coverage of the lunar poles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Hooper says that streaming, real-time communications weren\u2019t in the Pathfinder specs, \u201cbut we engineered the future in.\u201d Because Pathfinder is a software-defined satellite and uses software-defined radio for wave-forming, at any time during its eight-year life, SSTL can offer a software update to Pathfinder that would enable real-time video streaming, though not in high definition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Owing to the 1.3 second lightspeed delay, Netflix \u201cwould be ropey and in standard definition,\u201d Hooper jokes. But he underlines that the technical capability is there if a business case and customers emerge. \u201cWe could do it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p><script>var AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a675e4d01e12;googletag.cmd.push(function(){var AIMAP_29b58f13885ebf8ea6b032f958eb0748 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([992, 100], [[970, 90], [970, 250]]).addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_737ce075cc05dd766c8f8ea08f3faa73 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([1200, 100], [970, 250]).addSize([768, 100], [600, 300]).addSize([320, 100], [300, 250]).build();AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a675e4d01e12 = googletag.defineSlot('\/987\/satellitetoday.com\/via-satellite-digital-issue-ads', [ [600, 300], [300, 250], [970, 250] ], 'div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a675e4d01e13').defineSizeMapping(AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3).setCollapseEmptyDiv(true).addService(googletag.pubads());   });<\/script><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a675e4d01e13'); });<\/script><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p5\"><b>The Thinking Behind Moonlight<\/b><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p2\">If Pathfinder was designed as a proof of concept for lunar communications satellites, Moonlight is the prototype \u2014 an ESA public-private partnership aiming to provide real time communication, asymmetric data relay, and PNT services for the lunar market. Moonlight will service the rovers, the landers, the orbiters, and eventually the space habitats which Artemis and the commercial ecosystem it hopes to kick start are already beginning to build.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Although the program is still being planned out, the aim, according to ESA, is to have a handful of satellites in lunar orbit by the end of the decade. The prime contractor is Italian space company Telespazio. &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Moonlight will provide the interoperable communications infrastructure that will enable multi-national and public-private projects on and around the moon, explains Yasrine Ibnyahya, vice president of Innovation, Viasat. Viasat was contracted by Telespazio to lead the design and delivery of the communications infrastructure and service for Moonlight.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">\u201cThat means the communication satellites in lunar orbit, the Earth ground stations, and the user terminal that is going to the lunar surface,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Currently, cislunar communications rely on NASA Goddard\u2019s Near Space Network. But relying on direct to Earth communications would mean transporting to the lunar surface a massive transmitter, capable of broadcasting over that vast distance, Ibnyahya says. It would also mean no connectivity to the lunar surface in parts of the polar region and on the misleadingly named dark side of the Moon that is not visible from Earth \u2014 all areas that that lunar missions are targeting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">By putting a relay satellite in lunar orbit, which collects transmissions from the lunar surface and retransmits them to Earth, Ibnyahya says, Moonlight can hugely reduce the size, weight and power (SWAP) requirements for the lunar surface terminal. \u201cFor some applications, the terminals could [eventually] be no bigger than your phone,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Moonlight will enable various applications, such as asynchronous data downloads by scientific research sensors and perhaps even live-streaming high-definition video for Artemis astronauts from the lunar surface.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">\u201cWe can provide narrowband, wide-area S-band and broadband Ka-band coverage to the Moon\u2019s surface, which means some services will support mission critical services, while others will be used for high throughput applications\u201d Ibnyahya explains. \u201cAnd what is expected in this new lunar era is that we will see delivery of 4K video in real time\u201d by the Artemis astronauts on the lunar surface.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p5\"><b>Enabling the Larger Vision<\/b><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p2\">But the vision for Moonlight expands beyond Artemis, deep into the multi-national and commercial lunar ecosystem it hopes to precipitate. Interoperability standards are absolutely critical to enable that vision, Ibnyahya says.&nbsp; &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><script>var AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a675e4d02bdf;googletag.cmd.push(function(){var AIMAP_29b58f13885ebf8ea6b032f958eb0748 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([992, 100], [[970, 90], [970, 250]]).addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_737ce075cc05dd766c8f8ea08f3faa73 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([1200, 100], [970, 250]).addSize([768, 100], [600, 300]).addSize([320, 100], [300, 250]).build();AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a675e4d02bdf = googletag.defineSlot('\/987\/satellitetoday.com\/via-satellite-digital-issue-ads', [ [600, 300], [300, 250], [970, 250] ], 'div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a675e4d02be0').defineSizeMapping(AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3).setCollapseEmptyDiv(true).addService(googletag.pubads());   });<\/script><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a675e4d02be0'); });<\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">And the existing ubiquitous terrestrial standards don\u2019t work in space.&nbsp; Due to bandwidth bottlenecks, store and forward policies and the delays inherent in the 1.3 seconds or so that radio waves take at lightspeed to make the trip to Earth from the Moon, neither the Near Space Network, nor any of its planned Lunar constellation replacements can use the conventional TCP\/IP protocol that computers use to communicate on the terrestrial internet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">The delay tolerant network protocol it uses instead is one of a whole set of standards NASA and its international partners are developing for use on the Moon and in lunar orbit. The LunaNet Interoperability Specification (LNIS) \u201cis the standard currently being defined by NASA, ESA, and also the Japanese Space Agency, JAXA,\u201d<br \/>\nIbnyahya says. The aim was \u201cto ensure interoperability amongst the various services that are going to be launched on and around the Moon by \u2026 international, commercial, and institutional partners.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">A common standard enables all comers to compete for business on the same playing field and ensures that service providers have something to sell that anyone could use. LCRNS and indeed Moonlight itself, would have to work for a variety of different use cases.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">\u201cSome applications will have a need for real time. Others will have more of a store and forward capability, because they\u2019re not time-sensitive,\u201d Ibnyahya says. A common standard would also enable innovation, she argued, \u201cRight now, there\u2019s a lot of startups coming up with also very exciting new concepts that are beyond what we can think of right now,\u201d all enabled by the communications infrastructure Moonlight is building.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Moonlight was underwritten to the tune of $201.4 million at the ESA Ministerial Council meeting last November. Eight times the cost of Pathfinder, but still modest by NASA\u2019s standards.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">The first phase of NASA\u2019s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, the agency\u2019s effort to jump start a for-profit lunar services industry, runs from 2018-2028. It has awarded 14 missions, announced another three and is capped at $2.6 billion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">The follow up CLPS 2.0 will run 2028-2043, with a budget cap of $6 billion. It will fund roughly 77 lunar lander and rover missions during its 10 year awarding timeline, says Carla Filotico, partner and managing director of consulting firm Novaspace.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">The long term Artemis vision of a commercial ecosystem of lunar missions relies critically upon extending these communications and PNT services to the Moon, she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Artemis and other programs aimed to kick-start a commercial \u201clunar delivery market\u201d of launch vehicles, she comments. But \u201cin the early stages \u2026 this is definitely still an economy driven by government demand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><script>var AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a675e4d035fd;googletag.cmd.push(function(){var AIMAP_29b58f13885ebf8ea6b032f958eb0748 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([992, 100], [[970, 90], [970, 250]]).addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_737ce075cc05dd766c8f8ea08f3faa73 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([1200, 100], [970, 250]).addSize([768, 100], [600, 300]).addSize([320, 100], [300, 250]).build();AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a675e4d035fd = googletag.defineSlot('\/987\/satellitetoday.com\/via-satellite-digital-issue-ads', [ [600, 300], [300, 250], [970, 250] ], 'div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a675e4d035fe').defineSizeMapping(AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3).setCollapseEmptyDiv(true).addService(googletag.pubads());   });<\/script><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a675e4d035fe'); });<\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">And it is likely to remain that way, Filotico says, until the services being piloted by programs like Moonlight or LCRNS prove they aren\u2019t just science projects, but can deliver in a reliable and cost-effective way.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">\u201cIf we see all this demonstrated in the next 10 years \u2026 and a more economical way to go back and forth from the Moon, then you can start justifying potential mission costs commercially,\u201d assuming that there were manufacturing, mining or other profitable activities that companies might want to undertake in low-gravity lunar conditions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">\u201cWe need to show we can do this repeatedly, reliably, and at a lower cost,\u201d Filotico says, so companies would have the confidence they could run a business on the Moon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Realistically, Filotico believes there won\u2019t be substantial commercial demand for at least 10 years. But in the meantime, multi-year service contracts like Moonlight and CLPS are crucial to enable the infrastructure build-out that future commercial lunar activity will rely on. \u201cIt is a market signal for repeat utilization by more diverse and multiple customers,\u201d she says. <b>VS<\/b><\/p>\n<p><em>Lead photo: Via Satellite illustration using an image of the lunar landscape captured by the Artemis II crew. NASA\/Via Satellite illustration<\/em><\/p>\n<p>,<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"widget-title\">In This Issue<\/h2>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 442504:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/VS_080126_DGTL_5-300x225.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/VS_080126_DGTL_5-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/VS_080126_DGTL_5-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/VS_080126_DGTL_5-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/VS_080126_DGTL_5-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t10 Smallsat Startups to Watch in 2026<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3 d-block d-md-none\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 442496:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/VS_080126_DGTL_3-300x225.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/VS_080126_DGTL_3-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/VS_080126_DGTL_3-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/VS_080126_DGTL_3-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/VS_080126_DGTL_3-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tHow Fast Can You Build a Satellite? Inside the Smallsat Manufacturing Market<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 442510:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MXQAMVzTbitqnvXJcNpt_VS_090121_DGTL_2-300x225.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MXQAMVzTbitqnvXJcNpt_VS_090121_DGTL_2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MXQAMVzTbitqnvXJcNpt_VS_090121_DGTL_2-800x599.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MXQAMVzTbitqnvXJcNpt_VS_090121_DGTL_2-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MXQAMVzTbitqnvXJcNpt_VS_090121_DGTL_2.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tIn the AI Era, Constellations Emerge As a New Strategic Class of Assets<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3 d-block d-md-none\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 442512:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"167\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/yV9qcmBITPeBlrQyP8Uw_Editors_Note-300x167.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/yV9qcmBITPeBlrQyP8Uw_Editors_Note-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/yV9qcmBITPeBlrQyP8Uw_Editors_Note-800x446.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/yV9qcmBITPeBlrQyP8Uw_Editors_Note-640x357.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/yV9qcmBITPeBlrQyP8Uw_Editors_Note.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tNew Horizons  for the Smallsat Industry<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 442508:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/iss050e066094_medium-300x200.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/iss050e066094_medium-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/iss050e066094_medium.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/iss050e066094_medium-301x200.jpg 301w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/iss050e066094_medium-1000x665.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tThermodynamics Does Not Care About Your Form Factor<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3 d-block d-md-none\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Over the last half century, space-based assets have helped to provide terrestrial users with ubiquitous services like broadband communications and position, navigation and timing (PNT). But although we think of these services as space-based, they don\u2019t actually work in space \u2014 especially not in the area between Earth orbit and the Moon known as cislunar [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46664,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46663"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46663"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46663\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}