The Moon, our closest celestial neighbor, has become the focal point for a new era of exploration and innovation. At the heart of this resurgence is NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, designed to leverage commercial partners to deliver science and technology to the lunar surface. Among the unsung heroes of this monumental journey is the MILTECH 907 Ethernet Switch by Milpower Source, which has now flown twice to the Moon on board Intuitive Machines' Nova-C landers: Odysseus (IM-1) and Athena (IM-2).
This is the story of a small but mighty piece of technology, its critical role in two historic missions, and what it represents for the future of space technology.
The Revival of Lunar Exploration
After decades of silence following the Apollo missions, lunar exploration has returned to the spotlight. NASA, in collaboration with commercial space companies, is aiming to establish a sustainable human and robotic presence on and around the Moon. The CLPS initiative is central to this strategy, allowing nimble, innovative companies to contribute to space missions once dominated exclusively by government agencies.
Intuitive Machines is one such company. Based in Houston, Texas, they are developing a series of Nova-C lunar landers to deliver payloads under NASA contracts. Each lander is a technological marvel, and within each of these sophisticated vehicles lies two of our rugged, compact MILTECH 907 switches.
MILTECH 907 – Engineered for Extremes
The MILTECH 907 is a 5-port, fully managed Gigabit Ethernet switch designed specifically for use in the harshest environments. Distributed in North America by Milpower Source, it is compact, lightweight, and fully compliant with MIL-STD-810F and MIL-STD-461E.
Its core features include:
- 5 x 10/100/1000 Mbps ports
- Single high-density D-Type 44-pin connector
- Layer 2/3 management features including VLANs, QoS, STP, and static routing
- Power input: 24VDC (range: 16–36VDC)
- Operating temperature: -45°C to +85°C
- Rugged casing designed for airborne and ground systems
The device is not just built for military use – it's built for the frontier.
IM-1 Mission – Odysseus
Launched on February 15, 2024, and landing on February 22, 2024, the IM-1 mission made headlines as the first American lunar landing since Apollo 17. Named Odysseus, the Nova-C lander carried a suite of NASA and commercial payloads.
The MILTECH 907 switch played a vital role in managing network traffic between vehicle systems and payloads. Despite a landing that saw the vehicle tip upon touchdown, data was successfully transmitted, and the switch continued to operate. Among the key NASA instruments were:
- Navigation Doppler Lidar (NDL)
- Lunar Node 1 Navigation Demonstrator
- Laser Retro-Reflector Array
- Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies
The switch’s performance on IM-1 validated its ability to withstand space launch, lunar descent, and operations in the Moon’s extreme environment.
IM-2 Mission – Athena
The IM-2 mission followed on March 6, 2025. Its lander, Athena, was tasked with an even more ambitious mission: drilling for lunar ice, deploying the first lunar LTE network, and demonstrating autonomous hopping robots.
MILTECH 907 again took the ride, integrated into the spacecraft’s core networking framework. It supported the PRIME-1 resource mining experiment, Nokia's lunar communication infrastructure, and rovers like Yaoki and the Micro-Nova hopper.
Although the lander tipped over upon touchdown, the switch continued to deliver critical data during the brief operational window, proving its resilience under adverse conditions.
Why Ethernet Matters on the Moon
Modern space systems rely on reliable and secure data communication. Ethernet provides a robust and scalable protocol ideal for connecting everything from navigation systems and payload instruments to autonomous rovers and environmental sensors.
The MILTECH 907 enables that reliability in miniature form, reducing complexity while maintaining performance. Its presence in two lunar missions demonstrates how terrestrial networking technologies can be ruggedized for space.
The Voice from the Field
A quote from the customer, Intuitive Machines, captures the importance of the switch:
“Two of your MILTECH 907 Ethernet switches have flown to the Moon on each of our first two uncrewed Nova-C Lunar Lander missions... Our lander avionics, and your switches, continued operating and delivered critical vehicle, NASA payload and commercial payload data.”
This testimonial is more than praise; it’s validation from those at the cutting edge of space innovation.
Looking Ahead to IM-3 and Beyond
Milpower Source will continue its journey to the Moon with the upcoming IM-3 mission, which will include the next-generation MILTECH 912 switch. With more bandwidth, ports, and capabilities, it’s poised to support even more advanced systems.
IM-4 is also expected to follow suit, ensuring that Milpower's technology remains embedded in the infrastructure supporting lunar science and exploration.
Conclusion: A Small Switch, A Giant Leap
The MILTECH 907 may be small in size, but its impact is enormous. Twice-proven on lunar soil, it represents the convergence of rugged engineering, commercial ingenuity, and humanity’s quest for knowledge. Each mission it supported helped validate critical technologies that will enable future lunar outposts, autonomous robotics, and interplanetary exploration.
From facilitating real-time communication between lander systems and NASA payloads, to enduring the vacuum, vibration, and extreme temperatures of space, the MILTECH 907 has demonstrated what reliable, space-grade networking truly looks like. In a field where failure is not an option, its unwavering performance has set a new standard for rugged connectivity.
As NASA, Intuitive Machines, and the global space community continue to reach for the Moon and beyond, Milpower Source stands ready to provide the dependable network infrastructure to power the journey—on the Moon, on Mars, and wherever the spirit of exploration leads us next.