Argo Space will deliver ispace’s first lunar communications relay satellite, named Alpine after the Colorado Rocky Mountains just outside ispace-U.S. headquarters, to lunar orbit as early as 2027. The finalized contract between the two companies establishes ispace Mission 2.5 and initiates deployment of the Lunar Connect Service, a planned constellation of at least five satellites intended to provide communication and positioning across the Moon.
“The lunar economy will be built on infrastructure, and infrastructure starts with the first asset in orbit,” said Elizabeth Kryst, CEO of ispace-U.S. Argo will carry out the delivery with its Argonaut water-powered space logistics vehicle, which the company says is built for responsive, affordable transport to any orbit, cislunar space included.
Argo’s Argonaut Vehicle to Deliver ispace’s Alpine Satellite to Lunar Orbit
The satellite’s name is a local reference: ispace-U.S. is based in Englewood, Colorado, with the Rocky Mountains on the skyline. Alpine will be the first orbital asset in the company’s planned communications network around the Moon, and the contract signed this week builds on an initial announcement the two firms made in March 2026, converting an agreement in principle into a committed mission.
What distinguishes Argonaut is its propellant. Argo describes the vehicle as water-powered and its fleet as running on water launched from Earth today and sourced from the Moon tomorrow, the point being that a refuellable spacecraft does not have to haul every kilogram of propellant up out of Earth’s gravity well for the life of the mission. The company calls the result an in-space logistics system rather than a one-way delivery. The announcement does not describe how the propulsion system converts water into thrust, nor does it say when or from where lunar water might actually be obtained, and this article makes no assumption about either.
ispace intends to establish a constellation of at least five Lunar Connect satellites, with the remaining spacecraft expected to reach lunar orbit by 2030, providing communication, positioning, observation, and Space Situational Awareness services. These satellites will support a growing cislunar economy, catering to both governmental and commercial clients. ispace plans to employ a diverse range of transport methods for these satellites, including its own lunar landers and orbital transfer vehicles, alongside services like those offered by Argo.
The company is also actively positioning itself to secure future Commercial Lunar Payload Services task orders from NASA, alongside private payload contracts focused on operations near the lunar South Pole — a push ispace ties to NASA’s recent IGNITION announcement and its plans to develop a Moon Base as a central component of the Artemis program. “This mission allows us to deploy our first Lunar Connect satellite and deliver communications and positioning services around the Moon,” Kryst said. “Argo’s transportation capabilities let us move faster as activity on and around the Moon accelerates.”
Robert Carlisle, CEO of Argo Space, framed the contract as an example of commercial operators supplying lunar infrastructure to one another. “This mission exemplifies how commercial companies can collaborate to increase access to the Moon in support of both commercial applications and NASA’s ambitious Lunar programs,” he said, calling it “a meaningful step toward the affordable, high-throughput logistics network needed to enable and catalyze a Lunar economy.” Carlisle added that the flight “will provide a strong demonstration of how Argo’s multi-modal transportation model can support the next generation of space infrastructure and capabilities.” Argo Space, headquartered in El Segundo, California, designs, builds and operates high-performance, refuellable spacecraft.
Both companies are describing infrastructure that does not exist yet. By ispace’s own account Alpine will be the constellation’s first orbital asset, so Lunar Connect currently has nothing in lunar orbit, and the 2027 date is stated as “as early as” rather than as a manifested launch. What the contract changes is commercial rather than technical: a relay satellite now has a booked ride, which is the step that usually decides whether a proposed constellation becomes hardware or stays a slide. Alpine’s delivery would be the first practical test of both firms’ claims.
The lunar economy will be built on infrastructure, and infrastructure starts with the first asset in orbit. This mission allows us to deploy our first Lunar Connect satellite and deliver communications and positioning services around the Moon.
Elizabeth Kryst, CEO of ispace-U.S.