Intuitive Machines

Intuitive Machines, Inc.

Company type	Public
Industry	Aerospace
Founded	2013 (2013)
Founder	Stephen Altemus, Kam Ghaffarian, Tim Crain
Headquarters	Houston , United States
Area served	Lunar exploration, commercial and governmental lunar services
Products	Lunar surface transportation, payload deployment, data communication, infrastructure-as-a-service

Intuitive Machines, Inc. is a U.S.-based aerospace firm located in Houston, Texas. Established in 2013 by Stephen Altemus, Kam Ghaffarian, and Tim Crain, the company specializes in both commercial and governmental lunar exploration initiatives. Its services encompass lunar surface transportation, payload deployment, data communication, and infrastructure-as-a-service offerings. Intuitive Machines holds three contracts with NASA under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and is among three companies chosen by NASA to develop capabilities for the Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV).

The company went public in February 2023 through a merger with Inflection Point Acquisition Corp., a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC). Incorporated in Delaware, it is publicly traded on Nasdaq with the ticker symbol LUNR.

Through its Lunar Payload Delivery Services (LPDS) program, Intuitive Machines seeks to broaden commercial lunar access. NASA has contracted the company for four lunar missions. In February 2024, its Odysseus lander achieved the first soft landing on the Moon by an American spacecraft since Apollo; however, it tipped over shortly after touchdown, resulting in limited data transmission and loss of communication. Despite these setbacks, industry analysts regard the mission as a partial success. A subsequent mission in March 2025 deploying the Athena lander faced a comparable situation when laser altimeter malfunctions caused it to tip over upon landing.

History

Founded in 2013 by Stephen Altemus, Kam Ghaffarian, and Tim Crain, Intuitive Machines, Inc. was created to advance lunar exploration for both commercial and government sectors. The company is incorporated in Delaware and maintains its headquarters in Houston, Texas.

Intuitive Machines became publicly traded following a merger with the special-purpose acquisition company Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. (IPAX), finalized on February 14, 2023. After this transaction, the firm began trading on the Nasdaq exchange under the ticker symbols 'LUNR' and 'LUNRW'.

On November 4, 2025, Intuitive Machines revealed plans to acquire Lanteris Space Systems from Advent International for $800 million, thereby expanding its presence within the space exploration industry.

Company overview

Intuitive Machines delivers infrastructure-as-a-service solutions that support the lunar economy through three key commercialization areas: transportation and payload delivery (including rideshare services and lunar surface access for satellites, scientific instruments, and cargo); space-based data acquisition, processing, and analysis through command, control, communications, reconnaissance, and prospecting capabilities; and development of lunar surface infrastructure featuring autonomous space assets responsible for navigation, maintenance, scientific data gathering, and system health monitoring.

Nova-C

In November 2018, NASA selected Intuitive Machines as one of nine companies eligible to compete under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Their Nova-C lander was designated as NASA CLPS's inaugural mission focused on exploring and utilizing lunar resources.

On May 31, 2019, NASA awarded Intuitive Machines $77 million to design and launch the Nova-C Moon lander. This contract included carrying NASA scientific instruments with a mission targeting Vallis Schröteri to deploy Nova-C near crater Malapert A by the Moon’s south pole.

IM-1

Under a contract with NASA, Intuitive Machines was responsible for transporting and operating five NASA scientific instruments along with several commercial payloads on the lunar surface, including one from Columbia Sportswear. The initial mission executed under this agreement involved a Nova-C class lander that spent seven days en route to the Moon. On February 22, 2024, the Odysseus lander endured a rough touchdown, tipping over and delivering limited data before communications were lost. Despite not fulfilling many of its goals, it marked the first American spacecraft to reach the Moon since the Apollo era and operated for six days.

Although Odysseus came to rest on its side, some instruments continued to function partially, albeit with diminished data transmission capabilities. Both Intuitive Machines and NASA regarded the mission as a success.

IM-2

The IM-2 mission, named Athena, launched on February 27, 2025, carrying the Micro-Nova rover called Gracie alongside other payloads. Its primary objectives included validating water detection technologies such as a drill and demonstrating mobility through the Micro-Nova hopper, which is designed to traverse the lunar terrain by hopping. Before launch, the lander's propulsion system completed its most complex integrated hot fire test.

On March 6, 2025, the Athena lander made a soft landing but ended up on its side, which prevented deployment of payloads and hindered solar recharging. Operations ceased within 13 hours of landing. According to Intuitive Machines, an altimeter malfunction during descent caused the spacecraft to collide with a plateau, tip over, slide along the surface, roll into a crater, and accumulate dust on its solar panels—further impairing performance. The CEO compared the incident to a baseball player sliding into a base.

IM-3

The third lunar delivery mission is currently undergoing integrated vibration testing with a targeted launch window in early 2026. This mission will deploy the first in a series of five data relay satellites as part of the Near Space Network Services contract.

IM-4

Scheduled as the fourth surface delivery mission, this effort aims to place two additional data relay satellites into orbit. In September 2024, NASA awarded Intuitive Machines a $116.9 million contract for this mission. It will carry six NASA payloads along with a drill suite led by the European Space Agency to search for water ice at the lunar south pole; further commercial payloads are anticipated.

NSNS

In September 2024, Intuitive Machines was named the sole recipient of the Near Space Network Services (NSNS) contract valued at up to $4.82 billion. The company intends to leverage its surface delivery missions to build a constellation of lunar data relay satellites supporting both commercial activities and NASA’s Artemis program aimed at establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon. The NSNS contract introduces a scalable pay-per-minute revenue model resembling Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), centered on flexible data transmission capabilities.

Joint venture with KBR

In April 2023, Space Networks Solution—a partnership between Intuitive Machines and KBR—secured a five-year contract worth up to $719 million to provide support for NASA's Joint Polar Satellite System.

SPAC merger

In September 2022, Intuitive Machines revealed plans to merge with the special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. (IPAX), aiming to become a publicly listed entity. This merger received approval from IPAX shareholders on February 8, 2023, and the deal was finalized six days afterward.

Following the completion of the transaction, the company rebranded as Intuitive Machines, Inc. and commenced trading on the Nasdaq stock exchange on February 14, 2023.

Project Morpheus heritage and evolution

Initiated in 2010, Project Morpheus was a NASA program focused on creating a landing test vehicle akin to the IM Nova-C lander. Tim Crain, who contributed to Project Morpheus, later assumed the role of CTO at Intuitive Machines. In a 2023 interview with NASA, Crain elaborated on the prospective development of a Nova-D lander powered by liquid methane and liquid oxygen (methalox).