Intuitive Machines wins $116.9M contract for a moon mission in 2027
Intuitive Machines secures $116.9M NASA contract to send moon lander to the lunar south pole in 2027, part of the CLPS program.
Intuitive Machines, a startup that went public last year, secured a $116.9 million contract from NASA to send a lander to the lunar south pole in 2027. This contract forms part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, marking the tenth award under the initiative, and the fourth for Intuitive Machines. The company will deliver six NASA payloads, with additional capacity for commercial customers.
The lunar south pole is a region of significant scientific interest, partly due to the presence of water ice, but it presents challenges such as permanent shadows, low temperatures, and rough terrain. The Indian Space Research Organisation’s Pragyan rover, deployed from Chandrayaan-3 in August 2023, is the only rover to have briefly explored the area. The scientific instruments to be delivered will analyze subsurface lunar regolith, explore the lunar surface composition, and measure the lander's impact on regolith composition.
Chris Culbert, manager of the CLPS initiative, emphasized the importance of these instruments in achieving scientific objectives and understanding the Moon’s environment. Intuitive Machines already has two lunar missions scheduled before this 2027 mission: one in the fourth quarter of this year and another to the Reiner Gamma region in 2025. The company previously launched a lunar mission in February, which although it ended early, validated the lander’s core systems.