Intuitive Machines wins $116.9 million contract for 2027 lunar mission

Intuitive Machines, a venture-backed startup that went public last yr, will send a lunar lander to the moon’s south pole in 2027 under a $116.9 million contract awarded Thursday by NASA.

This is NASA’s tenth Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) award; 4 of them have gone to Intuitive Machines. The company will deliver six NASA payloads to the moon under the contract, although the lander will carry additional payload for business customers.

The moon’s south pole is an area of ​​great scientific interest, partly due to relative abundance of water ice that has been detected there. However, the region is notoriously difficult to explore, with many parts permanently in shadow, extremely low temperatures, and rugged terrain. Only one rover has ever briefly explored the region: the Indian Space Research Organization’s Pragyan rover, which was launched from the Chandrayaan-3 lander in August 2023.

One of six NASA payloads that shall be carried on the mission is a collection of instruments designed by the European Space Agency that may collect samples of lunar regolith from below the surface and analyze their composition. The samples will help assess “potential resources on the Moon and prepare technologies that could be used to extract those resources in the future.” ESA stated within the cargo description.

Other payloads include a radiometer that may examine the composition of the moon’s surface, an instrument that may measure how a spacecraft landing might affect the composition of the regolith, and a bunch of retroreflectors that may help pinpoint the lander’s location. (Retroreflectors were also on Intuitive Machines’ first lunar lander.)

“The instruments on this newly awarded flight will help us achieve many science goals and enhance our understanding of the lunar environment,” Chris Culbert, CLPS initiative manager, said in a press release. “For example, they will help answer key questions about where volatiles — such as water, ice, or gas — are located on the lunar surface and measure radiation in the South Pole region, which could accelerate our exploration efforts on the Moon and help us further explore Mars.”

Before Intuitive Machines can launch this lander, it must first complete two lunar missions: a second lunar mission scheduled for launch within the fourth quarter of this yr, and a mission to the Reiner Gamma region of the moon in 2025.

Intuitive Machines launched its first lunar lander mission in February. Although the lander successfully landed on the lunar surface, it landed a bit too quickly and flipped almost on its side. Although the landing ultimately ended the mission prematurely resulting from the orientation of the lander’s solar panels relative to the sun, the corporate says the mission still proved the lander’s basic components and systems.