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Intuitive Machines

Intuitive Machines, Inc. is an American company focused on lunar exploration, infrastructure, and services, founded in 2013 and headquartered in . The company designs, manufactures, and operates space products including the Nova-C for payload delivery to the Moon's surface, as well as data transmission and orbital services to support robotic and human exploration beyond . Intuitive Machines achieved a historic milestone in February 2024 as the first private company to successfully soft-land on the with its lander during the IM-1 mission under NASA's (CLPS) program, marking the ' first lunar landing since the Apollo era. In March 2025, the company conducted its second CLPS mission, IM-2, landing the lander near the , though operations concluded prematurely after the lander tipped onto its side. This success was followed by additional contracts, including a $116.9 million in August 2024 for delivering payloads to the and selection for the Moon RACER development in April 2024, advancing capabilities for the . As of March 2025, Intuitive Machines employs over 400 people, and it went public on under the ticker LUNR in 2023, reporting a contract backlog supporting sustained growth. In November 2025, the company announced an $800 million acquisition of Lanteris Space Systems to expand its and communications capabilities, aiming to enhance lunar surface with streaming, , and for future missions.

Company Overview

Founding and Leadership

Intuitive Machines was founded in by Stephen Altemus, , and Tim Crain, establishing the company as a venture centered on developing lunar to support commercial and scientific activities on the . The founders, drawing from their collective expertise in and , aimed to address key challenges in lunar access by providing comprehensive services such as payload delivery, data transmission, and surface operations, with the initial concept originating as a simple idea sketched on a napkin to advance humanity's progress beyond . This vision evolved the organization from a conceptual —applying principles to innovative solutions—into a fully operational entity capable of executing complex missions. The company's leadership structure reflects its origins in NASA's ecosystem, with co-founder Stephen Altemus serving as president and CEO since inception. Altemus brings over two decades of experience at NASA's , where he held senior roles including deputy director from 2005 to 2013, overseeing engineering, safety, and mission operations for programs like the and . Co-founder Tim Crain, now chief growth officer, also contributed significantly during his NASA tenure at , focusing on systems for before co-founding the company; he previously served as vice president of . Kam Ghaffarian, the third co-founder and current chairman of the board, provides strategic oversight drawn from his entrepreneurial background in founding multiple space and energy firms, including IBX and , though his direct involvement stems from a passion for deep-space innovation rather than operational NASA roles. Headquartered in Houston, Texas—near NASA's —Intuitive Machines had grown to 435 employees by the end of 2024, supporting its expansion into lunar services under programs like NASA's initiative. This workforce, comprising engineers, technicians, and specialists, underscores the company's transition from ideation to a key player in sustainable lunar exploration.

Operations and Facilities

Intuitive Machines is headquartered in , , at the Houston Spaceport, where it operates its primary 105,572-square-foot Lunar Production and Operations Center, opened in 2023 to support lunar program activities including spacecraft assembly, testing, and mission control. This facility serves as the central hub for the company's Lunar Operations Center, enabling real-time monitoring, of lunar missions through integrated ground systems. As of 2025, the company has expanded this headquarters by an additional 140,000 square feet to accommodate growing government contracts and enhanced production capabilities. The company's key operational areas encompass space infrastructure services, such as scalable lunar systems for navigation, maintenance, data collection, and health monitoring of surface assets, alongside data transmission and analytics tailored for lunar missions. These services include pay-by-the-minute data relay via a planned lunar satellite constellation for continuous communications in S-band, X-band, and Ka-band, supporting real-time situational awareness and processing of reconnaissance data from instruments like NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and ShadowCam. Additionally, Intuitive Machines provides support for in-space manufacturing through its announced November 2025 acquisition of Lanteris Space Systems, which will expand capabilities in satellite production and integration for low Earth orbit, lunar, and deep space applications. Intuitive Machines employs over 400 professionals with deep expertise in , , and mission operations, drawing from a workforce originally rooted in traditional sectors while incorporating diverse technology perspectives. The executive team alone possesses more than 250 years of combined experience in , , and lunar . To ensure quality, the company maintains ISO 9001:2015 certification for general and AS9100D certification specific to aerospace standards, adhering to rigorous process controls for all operations. Beyond core missions, Intuitive Machines offers non-mission services including payload for client instruments and on its Nova-C landers, as well as consulting on lunar through its infrastructure-as-a-service model. These offerings facilitate transportation, , and sustainable resource management on the lunar surface, positioning the company as a key enabler in NASA's program.

History

Early Development and Project Morpheus

Following its founding in 2013 by former NASA engineers Stephen Altemus and Tim Crain, along with entrepreneur , who had contributed to development at , Intuitive Machines initiated research and development efforts centered on autonomous landing technologies for planetary missions. These early activities, spanning 2013 to 2015, were directly inspired by ongoing NASA challenges in precision navigation and hazard detection, building on the founders' prior work to advance commercial viability for lunar surface operations. Intuitive Machines' technical foundations were deeply rooted in NASA's , an initiative launched in 2010 to create a vertical test vehicle for demonstrating lunar landing capabilities. Its founders and early team members, who had previously supported the development of the prototype while at , integrated advanced systems for autonomous operations on airless bodies. The project emphasized rigorous ground testing to validate technologies for future human exploration, with personnel leveraging their NASA roles to refine vehicle design and integration. Key innovations from included the adoption of and , providing a non-toxic, high-performance system compatible with in-situ resource utilization on the , and precision guidance algorithms enabled by the Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT). ALHAT utilized altimetry and to detect surface hazards and achieve within 90 meters, marking a significant advancement in safe, uncrewed descent. These elements were tested through progressive campaigns, including successful hover demonstrations in June 2013 at , where the vehicle maintained stability for up to 74 seconds. Milestones in 2013 highlighted the project's progress, with the Morpheus lander completing its first successful free-flight tests in December at Kennedy Space Center's . These untethered flights simulated lunar trajectories, reaching altitudes of approximately 30 meters while demonstrating controlled ascent, hover, and descent with hazard avoidance, culminating in two flawless runs that validated the integrated systems. Over the following year, the vehicle achieved 12 additional free flights by May 2014, accumulating extensive data on propulsion reliability and guidance accuracy. By around 2016, as NASA's concluded its primary testing phase, Intuitive Machines transitioned to independent development, retaining and lessons from the program to pivot toward commercial lunar missions. This shift allowed the company to apply Morpheus-derived technologies—such as methane-oxygen propulsion heritage and ALHAT-inspired algorithms—directly to private-sector initiatives, fostering self-funded R&D without ongoing NASA contracting dependencies.

Commercial Milestones

Intuitive Machines marked its entry into commercial lunar operations through its selection as one of nine providers for NASA's (CLPS) program, announced on November 29, 2018, to deliver scientific and technological payloads to the Moon. This selection built on the company's technical foundation from NASA's , a precursor program focused on development. In May 2019, Intuitive Machines received its first CLPS task order worth $77 million to transport up to five NASA payloads to the region, establishing the framework for its inaugural commercial lunar mission. In late 2022, NASA approved a change order redirecting the IM-1 mission—under its original $77 million task order—to the , aligning with goals. The company's breakthrough occurred on February 22, 2024, when its Nova-C lander, , achieved the first U.S. commercial on the Moon since the , touching down near Malapert A in the south polar region. The mission enabled approximately seven days of surface operations, during which payloads collected data on lunar terrain, , and , demonstrating the viability of private-sector lunar delivery services. These achievements catalyzed significant for Intuitive Machines, transitioning from initial CLPS contracts valued in the tens of millions to a projected full-year 2025 of $250-300 million, fueled by ongoing NASA task orders and opportunities for payloads. This expansion underscores the company's maturation in the economy, with CLPS deliveries forming the core of its business while enabling diversification into additional lunar services.

Technology and Spacecraft

Nova-C Lunar Lander

The Nova-C is a versatile developed by Intuitive Machines as part of NASA's (CLPS) program, designed specifically for precise deliveries to challenging sites such as the . With a wet mass of approximately 1,900 kg (launch mass) and a height of about 4 meters, it features a compact, hexagonal cylindrical structure measuring roughly 1.6 meters in diameter, enabling efficient transport via launch vehicles like the Falcon 9. This design supports autonomous operations, including precision landing capabilities, making it suitable for deploying scientific instruments in regions with perpetual shadows and extreme terrain. The lander's structural framework consists of a lightweight composite hexagonal body with integrated panels and six deployable landing legs for stability on uneven surfaces. It accommodates 100–130 kg of payloads, such as cameras for and spectrometers for resource analysis, mounted on adjustable platforms that allow for optimized and during and surface operations. These payloads are secured within a tailorable to ensure functionality amid the lunar and radiation. Power for the Nova-C is provided by three deployable panels generating up to 200 , supplemented by 25 amp-hour batteries on a 28 VDC bus, enabling surface operations lasting 7 to 14 days. Thermal control systems, including insulation and heaters, protect components from the lunar south pole's extreme temperature swings, which range from -230°C in shadowed craters to 120°C in sunlit areas. This setup ensures reliable performance for data collection and transmission without active for crew. The Nova-C evolved from Intuitive Machines' work on NASA's , a vertical testbed lander program that informed its scaled-up architecture for orbital missions. Key advancements include integration with for and enhanced autonomy for hazard avoidance, utilizing sensors for terrain mapping and cameras for real-time visual during descent. Following lessons from the IM-1 and IM-2 missions in 2024 and 2025, respectively, improvements to algorithms and reliability have been implemented to enhance stability. These features allow the lander to identify and evade obstacles, such as rocks or craters, achieving touchdown accuracies within tens of meters.

Propulsion and Navigation Systems

The propulsion system of the Nova-C centers on a single gimbaled VR900 main engine, developed in-house by Intuitive Machines, which utilizes a and liquid (LOx/LCH4) bipropellant combination for efficient cryogenic performance beyond . This pressure-fed engine, pressurized by gas, delivers approximately 3,100 N of and achieves a exceeding 320 seconds, enabling precise descent and landing maneuvers while supporting payload capacities up to 130 kg on the lunar surface. Complementing the main engine, the attitude control system employs a (RCS) consisting of cold gas thrusters fueled by gaseous , with each thruster providing 4.45 N of to maintain orientation during flight and operations. For navigation, the Nova-C integrates NASA's system, a LIDAR-based that delivers high-precision measurements of , altitude, and range during , ensuring accurate guidance even in low-light conditions near the lunar poles. This is paired with a terrain-relative (TRN) subsystem, which uses onboard cameras such as Redwire's SpectraCAM to perform scene analysis and hazard detection, identifying obstacles larger than 30 cm with algorithms optimized for execution within 15 seconds at altitudes around 400 meters. The TRN enables autonomous site characterization and slope assessment, limiting touchdown angles to under 10 degrees to enhance landing safety. Autonomy features in the Nova-C's systems allow for decision-making during powered descent, incorporating onboard processing for hazard avoidance and potential abort sequences if unsafe conditions are detected, all validated through extensive ground-based simulations prior to flight. Redundant elements, including dual tanks for pressurization and backup RCS pathways, undergo rigorous testing in vacuum chambers to simulate lunar conditions, with successful hot-fire demonstrations confirming reliable performance across multiple mission profiles.

Missions

IM-1 Mission

The IM-1 mission, Intuitive Machines' inaugural lunar landing effort, launched on February 15, 2024, aboard a rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's in at 1:05 a.m. . The Nova-C class lander, named , completed a seven-day to the Moon, covering approximately 600,000 miles before entering lunar orbit. As part of 's (CLPS) initiative, the mission's primary objectives were to deliver scientific instruments and technology demonstrations to the lunar surface, focusing on plume-surface interactions, effects, , aids, and resource characterization to support future explorations. The lander carried six payloads, including the Lunar Node-1 (LN-1) autonomous beacon designed to enable precise surface operations and the Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies (SCALPSS) to document descent plume effects on the . Additional instruments encompassed the Navigation Doppler for Precise Velocity and Range Sensing (NDL), Radio Observations of the Lunar Surface Photoelectron Sheath (ROLSES), Radio Frequency Mass Gauge (RFMG), and Retroreflector Array (LRA). The targeted landing site was Malapert A in the Moon's south polar region, selected for its potential scientific value and relevance to shadowed terrain exploration. Following successful orbit insertion on February 21, 2024, Odysseus executed an autonomous descent and achieved touchdown on February 22 at 6:23 p.m. EST, approximately 250 meters from the intended site in Malapert A. During the powered descent, the lander encountered a navigation anomaly with its star tracker system, which was promptly resolved by uploading a software patch to integrate NASA's Doppler Lidar data, allowing the landing to proceed without laser rangefinder reliance. Post-landing analysis revealed that Odysseus had tipped over onto its side, likely due to a foot snagging on the uneven terrain, resulting in a 30-degree tilt that limited solar panel exposure but preserved core functionality. Over the subsequent seven days, the lander transmitted surface images, engineering telemetry, and scientific data, including over 350 megabytes from all active payloads, before entering a planned standby mode on February 29 as lunar night approached. The mission marked the first U.S. soft lunar landing since in 1972 and the inaugural success for a provider under CLPS, demonstrating viable private-sector capabilities for lunar delivery. and Intuitive Machines deemed IM-1 an overall success, with all payloads operational and returning valuable data on lunar surface properties, technologies, and plume dynamics, despite orientation challenges that curtailed some deployments like the EagleCam . The lander's endurance exceeded initial expectations, operating beyond the nominal seven-day surface phase and providing insights that advanced lunar exploration technologies.

IM-2 Mission

The IM-2 mission, Intuitive Machines' second commercial lunar landing under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, launched on February 26, 2025, at 7:16 p.m. ET aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Nova-C class lander, named Athena, targeted the Mons Mouton plateau near the Moon's South Pole—a rugged, high-latitude site selected for its potential to host permanently shadowed regions rich in water ice and other volatiles essential for future exploration. Building briefly on the IM-1 mission's proof-of-concept landing, IM-2 focused on resource prospecting with primary objectives centered on deploying NASA's Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1), which included the TRIDENT drill to extract regolith samples up to 1 meter deep and the MSolo mass spectrometer to analyze for water ice content. Commercial payloads complemented these efforts, notably Nokia's Lunar Surface Communications Relay and Navigation Data Decoder for demonstrating 4G/LTE connectivity in the lunar environment. Athena entered lunar orbit successfully after a five-day transit and initiated descent on March 6, 2025, aiming for a touchdown around 11:30 a.m. CST. However, during the final approach, laser altimeter interference from the uneven south polar terrain, combined with low-angle lighting that obscured surface features, caused the lander to impact at a higher velocity than planned. The vehicle came to rest on its side within a 20-meter-diameter crater, approximately 400 meters from the intended site at coordinates 84.7906° S, 29.1957° E, with one solar panel facing away from the Sun. Mission controllers confirmed communication post-landing and accelerated payload activations, achieving initial surface operations including imaging and data collection before the awkward orientation limited power generation and thermal control. The mission concluded prematurely at 12:15 a.m. CST on March 7, after about 13 hours of surface activity, as battery levels dropped critically. Despite the landing anomaly, IM-2 yielded significant scientific and engineering insights, transmitting approximately 250 megabytes of data to , including preliminary spectrometer readings from PRIME-1 that detected volatile signatures consistent with ice in the shadowed . Nokia's payload successfully established the first cellular signal on the lunar surface, enabling short-range communication tests that validated key objectives for future networks. The tipped orientation highlighted challenges in polar landing precision, prompting Intuitive Machines to incorporate enhanced and terrain-relative upgrades for the IM-3 mission scheduled for late 2025. Overall, the mission's remained under $120 million, with NASA's CLPS covering $62.5 million for lander delivery and payload integration.

Planned Missions

Intuitive Machines' IM-3 mission, part of NASA's (CLPS) program, is scheduled for launch in 2026 from NASA's aboard a rocket. The Nova-C lander will target the Reiner Gamma region on the Moon's near side, a site featuring a prominent , to deliver four NASA payloads including the Lunar Vertex (LVx) instrument for studying lunar magnetic fields and the Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Explorers (CADRE) technology demonstration, which involves a swarm of three small rovers designed for coordinated autonomous exploration and seismic data collection. Additional payloads encompass radiation sensors, a lunar plant growth experiment, and contributions from international partners such as the (ESA) and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). The mission, awarded under a $77.5 million NASA contract, aims to advance scientific understanding of lunar surface interactions and demonstrate technologies for future exploration, including the deployment of the first satellite in a commercial lunar data relay network. The IM-4 mission, also under the CLPS initiative, is targeted for 2027 and will launch on a , delivering six scientific payloads to the Mons Mouton region near the . This landing site supports investigations into polar resources, with payloads focused on ice detection and surface characterization, including an ESA lunar ice drill system. The mission, valued at $116.9 million in funding, will further the commercial data relay network by deploying two additional lunar orbit satellites to enable persistent communication and services. Under the Near Space Network Services (NSNS) contract awarded by in September 2024, with a potential value of up to $4.82 billion over ten years, Intuitive Machines is developing a lunar to support missions and commercial operations. Initial satellites for this network will launch aboard the IM-3 and IM-4 missions, establishing reliable data links between the lunar surface, orbit, and ; future expansions beyond 2028 may include additional relays to enhance coverage for multi-mission scenarios. These planned missions face challenges including budgets exceeding $150 million per flight when combining awards and commercial elements, the need for launch approvals, and coordination with timelines to ensure payload integration and orbital compatibility. Delays in payload development or availability could shift schedules, as seen in prior adjustments to CLPS task orders.

Business Developments

SPAC Merger and Public Listing

In September 2022, Intuitive Machines announced a business combination with Acquisition Corp. (IPAX), a (SPAC) sponsored by affiliates of . The agreement valued the enterprise at approximately $815 million and was structured to provide Intuitive Machines access to public markets while accelerating its lunar exploration initiatives. The merger closed on February 13, 2023, after approval, with renaming to Intuitive Machines, Inc. and beginning trading on the under the ticker symbols LUNR (Class A ) and LUNRW (warrants). Due to high redemptions, the yielded far less than the initially projected $330 million, providing about $81 million in net proceeds, comprising $55 million from the SPAC trust and $26 million from a concurrent (PIPE) financing led by existing investors. These funds bolstered the company's to support operational ramp-up, including preparations for its inaugural IM-1 lunar mission. Post-merger, Intuitive Machines' stock performance reflected market enthusiasm for its milestones, particularly surging more than 300% from early 2024 lows following the IM-1 mission's historic on the in 2024—the first American lunar touchdown in over 50 years. This rally underscored investor confidence in the company's role in NASA's program, though shares later moderated amid broader market volatility and mission operational details. The SPAC transaction also prompted governance enhancements, with the board expanding to include directors possessing deep expertise in space finance and industry strategy. Notable additions were Michael Blitzer, co-founder of Kingstown Capital Management with a focus on and investments; Robert L. Masson, a seasoned finance executive and former CFO at Technologies subsidiaries; and (Ret.) William J. Liquori, former Chief Strategy and Resourcing Officer of the U.S. , bringing strategic resourcing acumen from space operations. These appointments fortified oversight for scaling commercial space ventures.

Partnerships and Joint Ventures

Intuitive Machines has established several key partnerships to support its lunar missions and broader operations, leveraging collaborations with leaders for , launch services, and technology demonstrations. Intuitive Machines entered into a agreement with KBR to form the Solutions JV, which was awarded the OMES III by in 2023. This partnership secured a five-year, $719 million to provide multidisciplinary services for 's , including electrical , instrument systems, and mission support for critical orbital systems. As part of NASA's (CLPS) initiative, Intuitive Machines has integrated subcontracts for mission execution, notably selecting to provide launch services for its IM-1, IM-2, and subsequent missions, enabling reliable delivery of payloads to the lunar surface. The company has received multiple CLPS awards totaling over $250 million to transport NASA science instruments, with launches beginning in 2024. Internationally, Intuitive Machines partnered with to demonstrate the first /LTE cellular network on the during the IM-2 mission in February 2025. 's Lunar Surface Communication System was integrated into the lander and associated mobility vehicles, achieving key objectives for radiation-hardened communications to support future lunar exploration and rover operations at the . This marked a milestone in enabling high-speed data transmission for commercial and scientific applications on the lunar surface.

Recent Expansions

In late 2025, Intuitive Machines announced its acquisition of Lanteris Space Systems for $800 million, marking a significant expansion into and broader infrastructure capabilities. The transaction consists of $450 million in cash and $350 million in Intuitive Machines stock, subject to customary adjustments. This move aims to diversify the company's portfolio beyond lunar landers, enabling production of commercial and government while positioning it to secure additional military and civil contracts. The acquisition, announced in November 2025 and expected to close in the first quarter of 2026, is expected to integrate Lanteris' expertise in assembly, boosting Intuitive Machines' and access to defense-related opportunities. Building on its (CLPS) foundation, Intuitive Machines has deepened its involvement in military contracting through a $8.2 million contract extension from the (AFRL) in October 2025. This funding supports the advancement of in-space technologies, which have dual-use potential for both civil and applications, including enhanced power systems for space-based operations. While not a direct partnership with the U.S. , the AFRL work aligns with broader military interests in lunar and capabilities, such as , , and (ISR) adaptations for variants of the Nova-C lander. The company has also expanded into lunar data services, developing analytics platforms to process and distribute data from missions. These services focus on lunar surface insights, payload telemetry, and , leveraging Intuitive Machines' experience in data relay from prior CLPS deliveries. Analysts project this segment, alongside overall operations, to drive revenue to approximately $500 million by 2028, underscoring the growing economic potential of lunar data infrastructure. Sustainability initiatives form another pillar of recent growth, with Intuitive Machines advancing in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) demonstrations aimed at lunar production. These efforts include maturation for extracting and processing to generate propellants, supporting long-term lunar economy goals under NASA's framework. Planned demos, potentially integrated with future Nova-C missions, target proof-of-concept for oxygen and from water ice, addressing key challenges in sustainable space operations. Despite these advancements, Intuitive Machines faces regulatory hurdles related to dual-use technologies, particularly in exporting systems and securing export licenses for applications. Competition from established players like intensifies pressure on contract bids and market share in lunar services, compounded by uncertainties in federal funding and international space policies. These challenges highlight the need for agile compliance strategies as the company scales its diversified operations.

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