NASA Backs Intuitive Machines Space Automation Initiative

Intuitive Machines has achieved its fourth contract award with NASA.

The funding is for a moon mission expected to take place in 2027 and the announcement prompted the company’s shares to increase by 16%. As part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), the contract is designed to deliver payloads and return valuable data while autonomously operating on the surface of the moon, according to Intuitive Machines.

Based in the state of Texas, the space exploration company is currently in the final assembly phase of its second lunar mission. This is scheduled to deliver the completed lander to the launch facility later in 2024.

Accelerating ground-breaking space exploration

Intuitive Machines is a US-based company founded in 2013 by Stephen Altemus, Kam Ghaffarian and Tim Crain. With the company’s mission described as “solving humanity’s greatest challenges”, Intuitive Machines harnesses data analytics to power space exploration. 

The company has been working towards its lunar programme, which consists of lunar surface and orbit delivery, in addition to long-distance communications from the surface of the moon. In particular, it has been working closely with SpaceX to analyse test data for the IM-1 mission.

With NASA, the US government agency for space, Intuitive Machines has been under contract to develop robotic spacecraft since 2020.

“This marks the 10th CLPS delivery NASA has awarded and the fourth planned for delivery to the South Pole of the Moon,” says Joel Kearns, Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration at NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. “By supporting a robust cadence of CLPS flights to a variety of locations on the lunar surface, including two flights currently planned by companies for later this year, NASA will explore more of the Moon than ever before.”

Hoping to further advance space technology, multiple commercial deliveries to different geographic locations under CLPS is designed to help NASA continue its work towards a long-term human presence on the Moon.

Future deliveries will include sophisticated science experiments and technology demonstrations as part of NASA’s Artemis campaign. Two upcoming CLPS flights set to launch near the end of 2024 will deliver NASA payloads to the Moon’s nearside and South Pole, which will include the Intuitive Machines-2 delivery of NASA’s first on-site demonstration of searching for water and other chemical compounds 3.3 feet below the surface of the Moon, using a drill and mass spectrometer.

“The instruments on this newly awarded flight will help us achieve multiple scientific objectives and strengthen our understanding of the Moon’s environment,” Chris Culbert, Manager of the CLPS initiative at NASA, said in a statement. 

“For example, they’ll help answer key questions about where volatiles — such as water, ice or gas — are found on the lunar surface and measure radiation in the South Pole region, which could advance our exploration efforts on the Moon and help us with continued exploration of Mars.”

Other ventures with NASA

NASA’s investment into Intuitive Machines was part of a wider strategy to invest in small private companies to develop technologically advanced lunar services. 

In February 2024, both organisations contributed to the ground-breaking moon landing by the Odysseus robot, the lunar lander developed by Intuitive Machines. The robot was the first US spacecraft to touch down on the moon since 1972, with Intuitive Machines becoming one of the first private companies to achieve a lunar landing - a feat only achieved by five countries so far.

Whilst the Odysseus fell on its side upon landing, its instruments remained partially functional and so the mission was hailed as a success.

This was a historic moment that represented a connection between businesses and space exploration to deliver innovative space progress. Now, the Intuitive Machines contract with NASA covers transportation and operations at the Moon for five NASA science instruments.

Other initiatives that Intuitive Machines have embarked on include its partnership with Advanced Navigation to use their new Laser Imaging, Detection and Ranging for Autonomous Vehicles (LiDAV) technology for precise lunar landings. The benefits of this technology include a significantly reduced size, improved flexibility and multi-purpose functionality for surface imaging data.

Before Intuitive Machines launches its latest lander, it has two lunar missions it must complete first. This includes a second lunar mission scheduled to launch in the fourth quarter of 2024 and a mission to the Reiner Gamma region of the moon in 2025.

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