Intuitive Machines

{{expand section | with = a more complete outline of the company history, from founding through SPAC-merger and beyond, based in independent, third-part sources|small = no | date = March 2025}}

Intuitive Machines, Inc. was founded in 2013 by Stephen Altemus, Kam Ghaffarian, and Tim Crain,{{cite web | author = Tracxn Staff | date = February 28, 2025 | title = Intuitive Machines Founders and Board of Directors | work = Tracxn.com | url = https://tracxn.com/d/companies/intuitive-machines/__7rl-siWsv9tQE1txig2bCG6EN38CzielTk9Of6lM02o/founders-and-board-of-directors | access-date = 2 March 2025 | location = Bengaluru, India | publisher = Tracxn Technologies Limited | quote = Intuitive Machines has 3 founders. They are Stephen Altemus... Kam Ghaffarian... Tim Crain... }} to provide commercial and government exploration of the Moon.{{cn|date=March 2025}} It is incorporated in Delaware,{{Cite web |title=EDGAR Entity Landing Page |url=https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=0001844452 |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=www.sec.gov}} and headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Intuitive Machines merged with the special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. (IPAX) to become a publicly held company, a transaction that was completed on February 14, 2023,{{Cite press release | author = Intuitive Machines Staff | date = February 13, 2023 | title = Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. and Intuitive Machines, LLC Announce Closing of Business Combination; Intuitive Machines, Inc. to Trade on Nasdaq Under Ticker Symbols 'LUNR' and 'LUNRW' | work = BusinesWire.com | url = https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230212005021/en/Inflection-Point-Acquisition-Corp.-and-Intuitive-Machines-LLC-Announce-Closing-of-Business-Combination-Intuitive-Machines-Inc.-to-Trade-on-Nasdaq-Under-Ticker-Symbols-“LUNR”-and-“LUNRW” | access-date = 2 March 2025}} For the same announcement at the IntuitiveMachines.com website, see [https://www.intuitivemachines.com/post/inflection-point-acquisition-corp-and-intuitive-machines-llc-announcement this link], access date as above.{{Cite news |last=Ramkumar |first=Amrith |title=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 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/space-exploration-startup-intuitive-machines-nears-1-billion-spac-merger-11663291537 |access-date=23 October 2024 |work=The Wall Street Journal}} and its stock began trading on the Nasdaq that day.

{{Multiple issues|section=yes|{{third party|section|date = March 2025}}}}

Intuitive Machines provides infrastructure as a service and is the catalyst for growing a lunar economy by using three pillars of commercialization:{{cite web | author = Altemus, Steve | author2=Vontur, Steve | date = August 13, 2024 | title = Second Quarter 2024 Investor Update | work = IntuitiveMachines.com | format = company investor publication | url = https://investors.intuitivemachines.com/static-files/85125769-201e-4bdb-8221-e92846ae436e | access-date = 2 March 2025}} Transportation and delivery of payloads (satellites, scientific instruments, cargo), including rideshare delivery and lunar surface access;{{Cite web |title=Lunar Access Services |url=https://www.intuitivemachines.com/lunar-access-services |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126101813/https://www.intuitivemachines.com/lunar-access-services |archive-date=January 26, 2025 |access-date=2025-03-03 |website=Intuitive Machines |language=en |url-status=live }} collection, processing, and interpretation of space-based data, through command, control, communications, reconnaissance, and prospecting;{{Cite web |title=Lunar Data Services |url=https://www.intuitivemachines.com/lunar-data-services |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126113043/https://www.intuitivemachines.com/lunar-data-services |archive-date=January 26, 2025 |access-date=2025-03-03 |website=Intuitive Machines |language=en |url-status=live }} and infrastructure on the lunar surface, including space assets to perform tasks and make decisions without human intervention.{{Cite web |title=Space Infrastructure |url=https://www.intuitivemachines.com/space-infrastructure |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241219082453/https://www.intuitivemachines.com/space-infrastructure |archive-date=December 19, 2024 |access-date=2025-03-03 |website=Intuitive Machines |language=en |url-status=live }} These functions may include navigation, maintenance, scientific data collection, and system health monitoring.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

{{Main|Intuitive Machines Nova-C}}

File:Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lunar lander (IM 00309).jpg

In November 2018, IM was selected by NASA as one of nine companies to bid on the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program (CLPS).{{Cite press release |editor-last=Warner |editor-first=Cheryl |editor2-last=Cole |editor2-first=Steve |editor3-last=Knotts |editor3-first=Jenny |date=November 29, 2018 |title=NASA Announces New Partnerships for Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Services |url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-new-partnerships-for-commercial-lunar-payload-delivery-services |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125031037/http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-new-partnerships-for-commercial-lunar-payload-delivery-services/ |archive-date=November 25, 2020 |access-date=November 29, 2018 |publisher=NASA |id=18-105 }} {{PD-notice}} Their lander, Nova-C, was NASA CLPS first mission of the program, focused on the exploration and use of natural resources of the Moon.{{cite news |url=http://www.spaceminingnews.com/2018/11/30/intuitive-machines-headed-to-the-moon-in-2021/ |title=Intuitive Machines Headed To The Moon In 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190602114824/http://www.spaceminingnews.com/2018/11/30/intuitive-machines-headed-to-the-moon-in-2021/|archive-date=2019-06-02 |url-status=usurped |work=Space Mining News |date=30 November 2018}}

On May 31, 2019, NASA announced it had awarded Intuitive Machines $77 million to build and launch their Nova-C Moon lander.{{Cite web |title=NASA Selects First Commercial Moon Landing Services for Artemis Program - NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-selects-first-commercial-moon-landing-services-for-artemis-program/ |access-date=2025-03-03 |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Brinkmann |first=Paul |title=NASA chooses three companies to send landers to the moon |url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2019/05/31/NASA-chooses-three-companies-to-send-landers-to-the-moon/8021559322020/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200122214333/https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2019/05/31/NASA-chooses-three-companies-to-send-landers-to-the-moon/8021559322020/ |archive-date=January 22, 2020 |access-date=June 1, 2019 |publisher=UPI }}{{cite news |last1=Sriram |first1=Akash |title=Intuitive Machines slumps as moon lander likely has 10-20 hours of battery life left |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/intuitive-machines-shares-tumble-moon-mission-nears-premature-end-2024-02-27/ |access-date=24 September 2024 |publisher=Reuters}}{{cite news |last1=Stuckey |first1=Alex | date = October 20, 2019 | title=Houston Based Company Headed to the Moon in 2021 | newspaper = HoustonChronicle.com | url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-based-company-headed-to-the-moon-in-2021-14542169.php |access-date=24 September 2024}}

On April 13, 2020, IM, under contract to carry NASA science instruments to the Moon on a robotic spacecraft,{{Cite web |date=2020-01-23 |title=NASA Names Five NASA Payloads Nova-C Will Carry To The Moon |url=https://www.intuitivemachines.com/post/nasa-names-five-nasa-payloads-nova-c-will-carry-to-the-moon |access-date=2025-03-03 |website=Intuitive Machines |language=en}} said that its first lunar mission would target a deep, narrow valley named Vallis Schröteri.{{cn|date=March 2025}} The mission objective was to place the Nova-C lander at crater Malapert A, near the south pole of the Moon.{{Cite web |title=Intuitive Machines 1 (Odysseus) |url=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 |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov}}

{{Refimprove section|date = March 2025}}

{{Main|IM-1}}

An Intuitive Machines contract with NASA{{what|date=March 2025}} covered transportation to and operations on the Moon, for five NASA science instruments and several commercial payloads (including Columbia Sportswear{{Cite web |title=Moon Mission - Omni-Heat Infinity |url=https://www.columbia.com/omni-heat-infinity/moon-mission/?srsltid=AfmBOor3Ai60I7aVvTTuWJXU5NpeCSYe2_XgnE0mfavfER44OdTg1i5E |access-date=2025-03-03 |website=Columbia Sportswear |language=en}}).{{cn|date=March 2025}} 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.{{when|date=March 2025}}{{cn|date=March 2025}} On February 22, 2024, Intuitive Machines landed Odysseus, its lander from the IM-1 spacecraft, on the Moon, the first U.S. landing in the more than 50 years since Apollo 17 touched down (in 1972).{{cn|date=March 2025}}

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.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

{{Main|IM-2}}

IM-2 Athena was launched on February 27, 2025,{{Cite web |last=David |first=Leonard |date=12 September 2024 |title=Ice-hunting Lunar Trailblazer and IM-2 nearly ready for January 2025 launch |url=https://spacenews.com/ice-hunting-lunar-trailblazer-im2-nearly-ready-january-2025-launch/ |access-date=12 September 2024 |website=SpaceNews}} carrying Micro-Nova Gracie and other rovers and payloads.{{cn|date=March 2025}} 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 hopping{{what|date=March 2025}} across the lunar surface.{{cn|date=March 2025}} IM-2 Athena has completed its propulsion system's hot fire test, the most complex integrated test of the lander thus far.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

The Athena lander achieved soft landing on March 6, 2025, but landed on its side, precluding recharging and deployment of payloads.{{cite news |title=Athena spacecraft lands on the Moon but on its side |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/cy4vrl7kzy2o |work=BBC Newsround |date=7 March 2025}} Operations concluded March 7, 2025.{{cite news |author=Georgina Rannard|title=Intuitive Machines: spacecraft can't complete Moon mission |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crew5z55ygjo |publisher=BBC News |date=7 March 2025}} 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.{{Cite web |last=Berger |first=Eric |date=2025-03-13 |title=Athena landed in a dark crater where the temperature was minus 280° F |url=https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/03/athena-landed-in-a-dark-crater-where-the-temperature-was-minus-280-f/ |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-US}}

The third lunar delivery mission is undergoing integrated vibration testing with an anticipated mission window in early 2026.{{Cite web |title=NASA Selects Intuitive Machines for New Lunar Science Delivery - NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-selects-intuitive-machines-for-new-lunar-science-delivery/ |access-date=2025-03-03 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=THIRD QUARTER 2024 INVESTOR UPDATE November 14, 2024 |url=https://investors.intuitivemachines.com/static-files/db20e001-b8fd-42bc-ad07-1b33ecaecae7 |website=investors.intuitivemachines.com}}{{third party inline|date = March 2025}} This planned mission is designed to deploy the first of five data relay satellites under a Near Space Network Services contract.{{third party inline|date = March 2025}}

The fourth surface delivery mission intends to deliver the next two data relay satellites.{{Cite web |date=2024-08-29 |title=Intuitive Machines Strengthens Lunar Service Capabilities with $116.9 million NASA Lunar Contract Award |url=https://investors.intuitivemachines.com/news-releases/news-release-details/intuitive-machines-strengthens-lunar-service-capabilities-1169 |website=investors.intuitivemachines.com}}{{third party inline|date = March 2025}} NASA awarded Intuitive Machines that $116.9 million mission contract in September.{{when|date=March 2025}}{{cn|date=March 2025}} Additional commercial payloads are anticipated to join that mission.{{cn|date=March 2025}} This south pole mission includes six NASA payloads in addition to a European Space Agency led drill suite to search for water ice.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

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.{{Cite web |date=2024-09-17 |title=NASA Awards Intuitive Machines Near Space Network Contract with a Maximum Potential Value of $4.82 Billion |url=https://investors.intuitivemachines.com/news-releases/news-release-details/nasa-awards-intuitive-machines-near-space-network-contract |website=investors.intuitivemachines.com}}{{third party inline|date = March 2025}} The company intends to leverage its contracted surface delivery missions to deploy a constellation of lunar data relay satellites around the Moon.{{cn|date=March 2025}} 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.{{cn|date=March 2025}} The NSNS contract introduces a pay-by-the-minute service model, focused on scalable data transmission services through a SaaS-type revenue model.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

In April 2023, Space Networks Solution,{{cite news |last1=Alamalhodaei |first1=Aria |title=Intuitive Machines prepares for first lunar mission, faces challenge to NASA contract win |url=https://techcrunch.com/2023/05/11/intuitive-machines-prepares-for-first-lunar-mission-faces-challenge-to-nasa-contract-win/ |access-date=23 October 2024 |work=TechCrunch |date=11 May 2023}} 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.{{Cite web |date=2023-04-18 |title=Intuitive Machines Bolsters Orbital Services Business Line With $719 Million NASA Award |url=https://investors.intuitivemachines.com/news-releases/news-release-details/intuitive-machines-bolsters-orbital-services-business-line-719 |website=investors.intuitivemachines.com}}{{cite web |url=https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/space/nasa-picks-intuitive-machineskbr-jv-engineering-support-contract |title=NASA Picks Intuitive Machines/KBR JV For Engineering Support Contract |first=Mark |last=Carreau |date=20 April 2023 |publisher=Aviation Week |access-date=February 15, 2024 |archive-date=February 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215092312/https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/space/nasa-picks-intuitive-machineskbr-jv-engineering-support-contract |url-status=live }}

In September 2022, Intuitive Machines announced that it would merge into special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. (IPAX) and [https://www.intuitivemachines.com/post/inflection-point-acquisition-corp-and-intuitive-machines-llc-announcement 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.{{cite news |last1=Sheetz |first1=Michael |title=Lunar tech company Intuitive Machines to go public via SPAC at close to $1 billion valuation |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/16/intuitive-machines-going-public-via-spac-near-1-billion-valuation.html |publisher=CNBC |date=16 September 2022 |language=en}}

The stock of the newly named Intuitive Machines, Inc., began trading on the Nasdaq exchange on February 14, 2023.{{cite news |last1=Foust |first1=Jeff |title=Intuitive Machines completes SPAC merger |url=https://spacenews.com/intuitive-machines-completes-spac-merger/ |access-date=16 February 2023 |work=SpaceNews |date=13 February 2023 |archive-date=February 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223211550/https://spacenews.com/intuitive-machines-completes-spac-merger/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Cooper |first1=Naomi |title=Intuitive Machines Completes SPAC Merger, Aims to Gain Foothold in Space Exploration Market |url=https://www.govconwire.com/2023/02/intuitive-machines-completes-merger-with-inflection-point-acquisition-corp/ |access-date=16 February 2023 |work=GovConWire |date=14 February 2023 |archive-date=February 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216234912/https://www.govconwire.com/2023/02/intuitive-machines-completes-merger-with-inflection-point-acquisition-corp/ |url-status=live }}

{{Main |Project Morpheus}}

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.{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/podcasts/houston-we-have-a-podcast/im-1/ |title=IM-1, Houston We Have a Podcast |publisher=NASA |date=9 Feb 2024 |access-date=February 9, 2024 |archive-date=February 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213032549/https://www.nasa.gov/podcasts/houston-we-have-a-podcast/im-1/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Karlin |first1=Susan |title=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. |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/91027604/intuitive-machines-how-this-houston-start-up-is-making-space-history |access-date=23 October 2024 |work=Fast Company}}

• {{Portal inline|Spaceflight}}

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• {{Official website|https://www.intuitivemachines.com}}

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