Intuitive Machines is an American space exploration company that provides lunar surface access, payload delivery, and data transmission services. As a NASA CLPS partner, they design and build lunar landers like Nova-C to transport payloads to the Moon. Their customers include NASA, for whom they deliver science instruments and technology demonstrations as part of the Artemis program, and they are developing lunar data relay satellites. Intuitive Machines aims to commercialize the Moon through infrastructure and services.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
Intuitive Machines has been chosen for a fifth mission, IM-5.
Houston Spaceport hosts NASA, Axiom Space, and Intuitive Machines.
The Andromeda contract award includes Anduril Industries, Lockheed Martin, Boeing’s Millennium Space Systems, Northrop Grumman, L3Harris Technologies, BAE Systems, Sierra Space, Redwire, General Atomics, Astranis Space Technologies Corp., True Anomaly, Turion Space, Intuitive Machines LLC, and Quantum Space LLC.
Intuitive Machines’ IM-5, awarded on March 23, 2026, was valued at $180.4 million for seven NASA payloads.
Redwire’s cameras captured photos on Firefly’s Blue Ghost flight and on Intuitive Machines missions under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.
NASA awarded Intuitive Machines of Houston a $180.4 million contract to transport NASA-funded scientific and technological payloads to the lunar surface under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative and the Artemis program.
SCALPSS was flown on Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 mission and Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost 1 mission.
Intuitive Machines is responsible for full-service lunar payload delivery and is targeting a landing in the Moon’s south polar region in 2030.
Intuitive Machines has already delivered payloads to the Moon twice on the IM-1 and IM-2 missions.
MSolo demonstrated gas-analysis capabilities in lunar conditions during Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission in 2025.
The NASA contract to Intuitive Machines is the company’s fifth CLPS award.
Intuitive Machines, Firefly Aerospace, and Astrobotic are the three CLPS 1.0 incumbents with lunar surface track records competing for CX-2.
The Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services competition has three named feasibility contract holders: Intuitive Machines, Venturi Astrolab, and Lunar Outpost.
Intuitive Machines CTO Tim Crain is an Intuitive Machines executive.
Astrobotic Technology, Firefly Aerospace, and Intuitive Machines are CLPS providers.
NASA asked Astrolab, Intuitive Machines, and Lunar Outpost to revise their Lunar Terrain Vehicle proposals to offer a smaller, simpler rover that could be ready earlier.
Under the NASA CLPS contract, Intuitive Machines will deliver seven science and technology payloads to the Lunar South Pole Region.
Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 and IM-2 missions included the first commercial spacecraft to land and operate on the Moon and the southernmost lunar surface operations ever achieved.
Intuitive Machines plans to incorporate lessons learned from IM-1 and IM-2 into its IM-3, IM-4, and IM-5 flights.
The CLPS award is the first Intuitive Machines task order to require a larger cargo class Nova-D lunar lander.