Intuitive Machines, a venture-backed startup that went public last year, will send a lunar lander to the moon's south pole in 2027 as part of a $116.9 million contract signed with NASA on Thursday.
This is the 10th award under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, four of which were awarded to Intuitive Machines. The company will deliver six NASA payloads to the moon as part of the deal, but there will be additional payload capacity on the lander for commercial customers.
The lunar south pole is a region of great scientific interest due to the relatively abundant water ice found there. However, the region is notoriously difficult to explore, with much of it permanently in shadow, extremely cold temperatures, and rugged terrain. Only one rover has briefly explored the region: the Indian Space Research Organization’s Pragyaan rover, deployed from India’s Chandrayaan-3 lander in August 2023.
One of the six NASA payloads on board the mission is a series of instruments designed by the European Space Agency to remove samples of lunar regolith and analyze its composition. The samples will “help assess potential resources on the Moon and prepare technologies that could be used to extract these resources in the future,” ESA said in a description of the payload.
Other payloads include a radiometer to probe the composition of the lunar surface, an instrument to measure how the spacecraft landing will affect the composition of the regolith, and a group of retroreflectors to help determine the precise location of the lander. (Retroreflectors were also present on Intuitive Machines' first lunar lander.)
“The instruments on this newly awarded flight will help achieve several science goals and enhance our understanding of the lunar environment,” Chris Culbert, CLPS Initiative manager, said in a statement. “For example, they will help answer key questions about where volatiles like water, ice, and gases are on the lunar surface, and measure radiation in the south polar region. This could help advance exploration efforts on the Moon and help with ongoing exploration of Mars.”
Intuitive Machines has two lunar missions to complete before it can launch this lander: a second lunar mission scheduled to launch in the fourth quarter of this year, and a mission to the lunar liner gamma region in 2025.
Intuitive Machines launched its first lunar lander mission in February. The lander successfully landed on the lunar surface, but it came in slightly too fast and nearly fell over on its side. The landing ended the mission early because the lander’s solar panels were misaligned relative to the sun, but the company says the mission still proved the lander’s core components and systems.
