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NASA awarded Modulate Space Corporation an approximately $38 million firm-fixed-price contract to develop a 5G communications system with built-in Wi-Fi 6 for the Moon. The work includes a lab demonstration and a planned lunar surface flight demonstration, with performance periods extending through December 2028.
NASA has awarded Modulate Space Corporation an approximately $38 million contract to develop key parts of a 5G communications system with built-in Wi-Fi 6 for the lunar surface. The work, managed for NASA’s Glenn Research Center, includes a laboratory demonstration and a planned flight demonstration on the Moon, aimed at advancing communications for future lunar base operations.
NASA describes the award as a firm-fixed-price contract covering system development and evaluation, including radio-propagation measurements on the lunar surface. The agency says the project is organized into two work areas that together are intended to produce a scalable, standards-based communications capability. NASA did not describe the award as a deployed network or say that a working system is already available on the Moon.
The first work area, called 5G Network-in-a-Box Development and Lab Demonstration, has a performance period scheduled from October 1, 2026, through January 31, 2028. The second, the Lunar 5G and Wi-Fi Integrated Surface Network and Flight Demonstration, is scheduled to run from November 30, 2026, through December 31, 2028. NASA’s release says the latter includes a flight demonstration on the lunar surface.
The agency says the contract will cover development of hardware, firmware and software for an integrated system. NASA expects the demonstrations to provide information about the system’s architecture and operational performance, while allowing the technology to be adapted as future lunar communications needs develop.
Building Communications for Lunar Operations
Communications are part of the infrastructure required to support people and equipment operating across the lunar surface. A network designed for that setting could support links among surface systems and help NASA evaluate how communications equipment performs beyond laboratory conditions. The contract matters because it funds development and testing of a potential component of future Moon base operations, rather than announcing a completed service.
NASA’s inclusion of 5G and Wi-Fi 6 points to an integrated approach using familiar communications standards. But the agency’s release does not specify which lunar activities the system will support, the range or data rates it is expected to achieve, or how it will connect with other lunar infrastructure. Those details will be relevant to judging the capability of the system as the work progresses.
The planned demonstrations also give NASA a way to gather evidence about radio propagation and operational performance on the Moon. Results could inform later design decisions, but the contract announcement does not establish that the system will be adopted for future missions or that it will meet any particular performance target.
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From Lab Development to Lunar Test
NASA’s September 30, 2026, announcement sets out a staged schedule: development and a lab demonstration first, followed by a separate integrated-network effort that includes a lunar surface flight demonstration. The agency identifies Glenn Research Center in Cleveland as the NASA center for which the system elements are being developed.
The project is presented as an accelerated effort to develop a standards-based capability that can scale to support future surface operations. The release provides the award amount and work periods but does not name a launch mission, lander, or delivery arrangement for the lunar demonstration. It also does not say that a Moon base is currently operating; the stated purpose is to support future operations.
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Mission Details Still Unspecified
NASA’s release does not identify the mission or launch vehicle that would carry the system for the planned lunar surface flight demonstration, nor does it give a specific demonstration date within the contract period. It is also unclear where on the Moon the equipment would be tested, how long testing would last, or what equipment and personnel would use the network.
The announcement does not provide performance targets for coverage, throughput, reliability, power consumption, or resistance to lunar conditions. It gives no breakdown of the approximately $38 million contract value between the two work areas and does not say what would follow if the demonstrations succeed. These details remain open in the information NASA released.
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Two Demonstrations Through 2028
The first scheduled milestone is the start of the lab development period on October 1, 2026, which is set to continue through January 31, 2028. NASA has not announced interim test dates or public reporting milestones for that phase.
The integrated surface-network work is scheduled to begin November 30, 2026, and continue through December 31, 2028. NASA’s release describes a lunar flight demonstration within that work area but does not give a mission date. Further information about the test platform, results, and any plans for later deployment would clarify how the contract’s development effort fits into NASA’s lunar communications plans.
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Key Questions
Who received the NASA contract?
Modulate Space Corporation received the contract, which NASA says is for work for its Glenn Research Center.
How much is the contract worth?
NASA put the firm-fixed-price contract at approximately $38 million. The agency did not provide a cost breakdown by work area.
Does the award mean 5G is already operating on the Moon?
No. The contract funds technology development and demonstrations. NASA’s announcement does not say that a lunar 5G network has been deployed or is currently operating.
When is the lunar demonstration scheduled?
The integrated surface-network work period is scheduled to run from November 30, 2026, to December 31, 2028. NASA did not specify the flight demonstration’s exact date, mission, or launch vehicle.
What will the system include?
NASA says the effort will develop hardware, firmware, and software for a 5G system with built-in Wi-Fi 6. The release does not provide technical performance targets or a detailed description of supported lunar activities.
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