Company:Intuitive Machines

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Intuitive Machines, Inc.
TypePublic
NASDAQ: LUNR
IndustryAerospace
Founded2013; 13 years ago (2013)
Founders
  • Steve Altemus
  • Kam Ghaffarian
  • Tim Crain
Headquarters
Houston, Texas
,
U.S.
Key people
ProductsLunar lander, Mission Control Center, Ground stations, additive manufacturing
Number of employees
400[3] (2024)
Websiteintuitivemachines.com

Intuitive Machines, Inc. is an American space exploration company headquartered in Houston, Texas. It was founded in 2013 by Stephen Altemus, Kam Ghaffarian, and Tim Crain,[4] to provide commercial and government exploration of the Moon. Today the company offers lunar surface access for transportation and payload delivery, data transmission services, and infrastructure-as-a-service. Intuitive Machines holds three NASA contracts under the space agency's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, to deliver payloads to the lunar surface. Intuitive Machines is one of three companies selected by NASA to advance Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) capabilities.Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24".

Intuitive Machines provides infrastructure as a service and is the catalyst for growing a lunar economy by using three pillars of commercialization:[17] Transportation and delivery of payloads (satellites, scientific instruments, cargo), including rideshare delivery and lunar surface access;[18] collection, processing, and interpretation of space-based data, through command, control, communications, reconnaissance, and prospecting;[19] and infrastructure on the lunar surface, including space assets to perform tasks and make decisions without human intervention.[20] These functions may include navigation, maintenance, scientific data collection, and system health monitoring.Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24".

Nova-C

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Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lunar lander

In November 2018, IM was selected by NASA as one of nine companies to bid on the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program (CLPS).[21] Their lander, Nova-C, was NASA CLPS first mission of the program, focused on the exploration and use of natural resources of the Moon.[22]

On May 31, 2019, NASA announced it had awarded Intuitive Machines $77 million to build and launch their Nova-C Moon lander.[23][24][25][11]

On April 13, 2020, IM, under contract to carry NASA science instruments to the Moon on a robotic spacecraft,[26] said that its first lunar mission would target a deep, narrow valley named Vallis Schröteri.Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24". The mission objective was to place the Nova-C lander at crater Malapert A, near the south pole of the Moon.[27]

Missions

IM-1

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An Intuitive Machines contract with NASALua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24". covered transportation to and operations on the Moon, for five NASA science instruments and several commercial payloads (including Columbia Sportswear[28]).Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24". The company launched its first mission based on the contract, with one of its Nova-C class landers spending seven days travelling to the Moon.Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24".Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24". On February 22, 2024, Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lander experienced a hard landing on the lunar surface, ultimately tipping over and receiving minimal data from paylaods before entirely losing communications.[6] Despite the failure to meet many mission objectives, Odysseus is considered the first American spacecraft to land on the surface of the Moon since the Apollo Program. The lander survived for six days total.[29]

The Odysseus lander fell on its side when landing, but its instruments remained partially functional (albeit with a reduced downlink capacity), so the mission was judged a success by Intuitive Machines and the sponsoring customer, NASA.[30]Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24".

IM-2

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IM-2 Athena was launched on February 27, 2025,[31] carrying Micro-Nova Gracie and other rovers and payloads.Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24". This mission is designed to validate water hunting infrastructure (e.g., via its drill), and essential mobility services like its Micro-Nova hopper; the hopper is designed to deploy off the lander and prospect by hoppingLua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24". across the lunar surface.Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24". IM-2 Athena has completed its propulsion system's hot fire test, the most complex integrated test of the lander thus far.Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24".

The Athena lander achieved soft landing on March 6, 2025, but landed on its side, precluding recharging and deployment of payloads.[32] Operations concluded March 7, 2025,[33] less than 13 hours after the hard landing.[34] On March 13, Intuitive Machines shared that, like on the IM-1 mission, the Athena's altimeter had failed during landing, leaving its onboard computer without an accurate altitude reading. As a result, the spacecraft struck a plateau, tipped over, and skidded across the lunar surface, rolling once or twice before settling inside a crater. The company's CEO compared it to a baseball player sliding into a base. The impact also kicked up regolith that coated the solar panels in dust, further degrading their performance.[35]

IM-3

The third lunar delivery mission is undergoing integrated vibration testing with an anticipated mission window in early 2026.[36][37]Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24". This planned mission is designed to deploy the first of five data relay satellites under a Near Space Network Services contract.[37]Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24".

IM-4

The fourth surface delivery mission intends to deliver the next two data relay satellites.[38]Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24". NASA awarded Intuitive Machines that $116.9 million mission contract in September.Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24".Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24". Additional commercial payloads are anticipated to join that mission.Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24". This south pole mission includes six NASA payloads in addition to a European Space Agency led drill suite to search for water ice.Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24".

NSNS

Intuitive Machines became the sole awardee for the Near Space Network Services (NSNS) contract in September 2024, which is a step toward data transmission for in-space communications and navigation.[39]Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24". The company intends to leverage its contracted surface delivery missions to deploy a constellation of lunar data relay satellites around the Moon.Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24". This is central to their strategy of supporting commercial ventures and the Artemis campaign's goal of sustained human lunar presence, as a part of the broader aim of commercializing the Moon.Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24". The NSNS contract introduces a pay-by-the-minute service model, focused on scalable data transmission services through a SaaS-type revenue model.Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24".

Joint venture with KBR

In April 2023, Space Networks Solution,[40] a joint venture of Intuitive Machines and KBR, was awarded a five year contract worth up to $719 million to support NASA's Joint Polar Satellite System.[41][42]

SPAC merger

In September 2022, Intuitive Machines announced that it would merge into special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. (IPAX) and incorporate as a publicly held company. The transaction was approved by IPAX's shareholders on February 8, 2023, and the business combination was completed six days later.[13][14]

The stock of the newly named Intuitive Machines, Inc., began trading on the Nasdaq exchange on February 14, 2023.[15][16]

Project Morpheus heritage and evolution

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Project Morpheus was a NASA project that in 2010 began to develop a landing test vehicle similar to the IM Nova-C. Tim Crain had worked on the project and later became the CTO of Intuitive Machines. In an interview with NASA recorded in October 2023, Crain mentioned the possible development of a Nova-D lander.[43][44]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "2023 Annual Report (Form 10-K)". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. March 25, 2024. https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/0001844452/000184445224000036/lunr-20231231.htm. 
  2. ↑ Doughty, Nate. "Intuitive Machines to cut dozens of jobs at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center". www.bizjournals.com. https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/inno/stories/news/2024/11/18/intuitive-machines-nasa-goddard-space-flight.html. 
  3. ↑ Coldewey, Devin (2024-11-11). "Intuitive Machines CEO: 'We now have the platform for a lunar economy'" (in en-US). https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/11/intuitive-machines-ceo-we-now-have-the-platform-for-a-lunar-economy/. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Tracxn Staff (February 28, 2025). "Intuitive Machines Founders and Board of Directors". Tracxn.com. Bengaluru, India: Tracxn Technologies Limited. https://tracxn.com/d/companies/intuitive-machines/__7rl-siWsv9tQE1txig2bCG6EN38CzielTk9Of6lM02o/founders-and-board-of-directors. "Intuitive Machines has 3 founders. They are Stephen Altemus... Kam Ghaffarian... Tim Crain..." 
  5. ↑ Nasdaq Staff (2 March 2025). "Intuitive Machines, Inc. Class A Common Stock (LUNR)". NASDAQ.com. https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/stocks/lunr. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lederer, Susan. “NASA: Intuitive Machines 1 (Odysseus).” NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive, NASA Johnson Space Center, 2024, nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=IM-1-NOVA.
  7. ↑ Wattles, Elise Hammond,Jackie (2024-02-22). "Odysseus becomes first US spacecraft to land on moon in over 50 years" (in en). https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/nasa-odysseus-moon-landing-intuitive-machines-scn. 
  8. ↑ Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24".
  9. ↑ "Intuitive Machines’ CEO points to issues that prevented upright touchdown during IM-2 Moon landing – Spaceflight Now" (in en-US). https://spaceflightnow.com/2025/05/14/intuitive-machines-ceo-points-to-issues-that-prevented-upright-touchdown-during-im-2-moon-landing/. 
  10. ↑ "EDGAR Entity Landing Page". https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=0001844452. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Stuckey, Alex (October 20, 2019). "Houston Based Company Headed to the Moon in 2021". HoustonChronicle.com. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-based-company-headed-to-the-moon-in-2021-14542169.php. 
  12. ↑ Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24". For the same announcement at the IntuitiveMachines.com website, see this link, access date as above.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Sheetz, Michael (16 September 2022). "Lunar tech company Intuitive Machines to go public via SPAC at close to $1 billion valuation" (in en). CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/16/intuitive-machines-going-public-via-spac-near-1-billion-valuation.html. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Ramkumar, Amrith. "Space Exploration Startup Intuitive Machines Reaches $1 Billion SPAC Merger Company that provides exploration infrastructure and data hopes to ride a boom in space missions". The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/space-exploration-startup-intuitive-machines-nears-1-billion-spac-merger-11663291537. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Foust, Jeff (13 February 2023). "Intuitive Machines completes SPAC merger". SpaceNews. https://spacenews.com/intuitive-machines-completes-spac-merger/. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Cooper, Naomi (14 February 2023). "Intuitive Machines Completes SPAC Merger, Aims to Gain Foothold in Space Exploration Market". GovConWire. https://www.govconwire.com/2023/02/intuitive-machines-completes-merger-with-inflection-point-acquisition-corp/. 
  17. ↑ Altemus, Steve; Vontur, Steve (August 13, 2024). "Second Quarter 2024 Investor Update" (company investor publication). IntuitiveMachines.com. https://investors.intuitivemachines.com/static-files/85125769-201e-4bdb-8221-e92846ae436e. 
  18. ↑ "Lunar Access Services" (in en). https://www.intuitivemachines.com/lunar-access-services. 
  19. ↑ "Lunar Data Services" (in en). https://www.intuitivemachines.com/lunar-data-services. 
  20. ↑ "Space Infrastructure" (in en). https://www.intuitivemachines.com/space-infrastructure. 
  21. ↑ Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24". Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  22. ↑ "Intuitive Machines Headed To The Moon In 2021". Space Mining News. 30 November 2018. http://www.spaceminingnews.com/2018/11/30/intuitive-machines-headed-to-the-moon-in-2021/. 
  23. ↑ "NASA Selects First Commercial Moon Landing Services for Artemis Program - NASA" (in en-US). https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-selects-first-commercial-moon-landing-services-for-artemis-program/. 
  24. ↑ Brinkmann, Paul. "NASA chooses three companies to send landers to the moon". UPI. https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2019/05/31/NASA-chooses-three-companies-to-send-landers-to-the-moon/8021559322020/. 
  25. ↑ Sriram, Akash. "Intuitive Machines slumps as moon lander likely has 10-20 hours of battery life left". Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/intuitive-machines-shares-tumble-moon-mission-nears-premature-end-2024-02-27/. 
  26. ↑ "NASA Names Five NASA Payloads Nova-C Will Carry To The Moon" (in en). 2020-01-23. https://www.intuitivemachines.com/post/nasa-names-five-nasa-payloads-nova-c-will-carry-to-the-moon. 
  27. ↑ "Intuitive Machines 1 (Odysseus)". https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=IM-1-NOVA#:~:text=The%20Intuitive%20Machines%201%20(IM,NASA%20payloads%20and%20commercial%20cargo. 
  28. ↑ "Moon Mission - Omni-Heat Infinity" (in en). https://www.columbia.com/omni-heat-infinity/moon-mission/?srsltid=AfmBOor3Ai60I7aVvTTuWJXU5NpeCSYe2_XgnE0mfavfER44OdTg1i5E. 
  29. ↑ Hill, Samantha (2025-03-07). "Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 Moon lander is lying dead in a crater" (in en-US). https://www.astronomy.com/space-exploration/intuitive-machines-im-2-moon-lander-is-lying-dead-in-a-crater/. 
  30. ↑ Foust, Jeff (2024-02-29). "Intuitive Machines and NASA call IM-1 lunar lander a success as mission winds down" (in en-US). https://spacenews.com/intuitive-machines-and-nasa-call-im-1-lunar-lander-a-success-as-mission-winds-down/. 
  31. ↑ David, Leonard (12 September 2024). "Ice-hunting Lunar Trailblazer and IM-2 nearly ready for January 2025 launch". https://spacenews.com/ice-hunting-lunar-trailblazer-im2-nearly-ready-january-2025-launch/. 
  32. ↑ "Athena spacecraft lands on the Moon but on its side". BBC Newsround. 7 March 2025. https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/cy4vrl7kzy2o. 
  33. ↑ Georgina Rannard (7 March 2025). "Intuitive Machines: spacecraft can't complete Moon mission". BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crew5z55ygjo. 
  34. ↑ Hill, Samantha (2025-03-07). "Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 Moon lander is lying dead in a crater" (in en-US). https://www.astronomy.com/space-exploration/intuitive-machines-im-2-moon-lander-is-lying-dead-in-a-crater/. 
  35. ↑ Berger, Eric (2025-03-13). "Athena landed in a dark crater where the temperature was minus 280° F" (in en-US). https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/03/athena-landed-in-a-dark-crater-where-the-temperature-was-minus-280-f/. 
  36. ↑ "NASA Selects Intuitive Machines for New Lunar Science Delivery - NASA" (in en-US). https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-selects-intuitive-machines-for-new-lunar-science-delivery/. 
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 "THIRD QUARTER 2024 INVESTOR UPDATE November 14, 2024". https://investors.intuitivemachines.com/static-files/db20e001-b8fd-42bc-ad07-1b33ecaecae7. 
  38. ↑ "Intuitive Machines Strengthens Lunar Service Capabilities with $116.9 million NASA Lunar Contract Award". 2024-08-29. https://investors.intuitivemachines.com/news-releases/news-release-details/intuitive-machines-strengthens-lunar-service-capabilities-1169. 
  39. ↑ "NASA Awards Intuitive Machines Near Space Network Contract with a Maximum Potential Value of $4.82 Billion". 2024-09-17. https://investors.intuitivemachines.com/news-releases/news-release-details/nasa-awards-intuitive-machines-near-space-network-contract. 
  40. ↑ Alamalhodaei, Aria (11 May 2023). "Intuitive Machines prepares for first lunar mission, faces challenge to NASA contract win". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2023/05/11/intuitive-machines-prepares-for-first-lunar-mission-faces-challenge-to-nasa-contract-win/. 
  41. ↑ "Intuitive Machines Bolsters Orbital Services Business Line With $719 Million NASA Award". 2023-04-18. https://investors.intuitivemachines.com/news-releases/news-release-details/intuitive-machines-bolsters-orbital-services-business-line-719. 
  42. ↑ Carreau, Mark (20 April 2023). "NASA Picks Intuitive Machines/KBR JV For Engineering Support Contract". Aviation Week. https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/space/nasa-picks-intuitive-machineskbr-jv-engineering-support-contract. 
  43. ↑ "IM-1, Houston We Have a Podcast". NASA. 9 Feb 2024. https://www.nasa.gov/podcasts/houston-we-have-a-podcast/im-1/. 
  44. ↑ Karlin, Susan. "Intuitive Machines (IM) cofounder and CTO Tim Crain on Project Morpheus, developing a prototype lander capable of autonomous flight and fueled by an emerging liquid methane and liquid oxygen propellant dubbed, methalox.". Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com/91027604/intuitive-machines-how-this-houston-start-up-is-making-space-history. 

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