Intuitive Machines

Nova-C

In November 2018, IM was selected by NASA as one of nine companies to bid on the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program (CLPS).[19] Their lander, Nova-C, was NASA CLPS first mission of the program, focused on the exploration and use of natural resources of the Moon.[20]

On May 31, 2019, NASA announced it had awarded Intuitive Machines $77 million to build and launch their Nova-C Moon lander.[21][22][23][24]

On April 13, 2020, IM, under contract to carry NASA science instruments to the Moon on a robotic spacecraft,[25] said that its first lunar mission would target a deep, narrow valley named Vallis Schröteri. The mission objective was to place the Nova-C lander at crater Malapert A, near the south pole of the Moon.[26]

Missions

IM-1

An Intuitive Machines contract with NASA covered transportation to and operations on the Moon, for five NASA science instruments and several commercial payloads (including Columbia Sportswear[27]). 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. On February 22, 2024, Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lander experienced a hard landing on the lunar surface, ultimately tipping over and receiving minimal data from paylaods before entirely losing communications.[6] Despite the failure to meet many mission objectives, Odysseus is considered the first American spacecraft to land on the surface of the Moon since the Apollo Program. The lander survived for six days total.[28]

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 by Intuitive Machines and the sponsoring customer, NASA.[29]

IM-2

IM-2 Athena was launched on February 27, 2025,[30] carrying Micro-Nova Gracie and other rovers and payloads. 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 across the lunar surface. IM-2 Athena has completed its propulsion system's hot fire test, the most complex integrated test of the lander thus far.

The Athena lander achieved soft landing on March 6, 2025, but landed on its side, precluding recharging and deployment of payloads.[31] Operations concluded March 7, 2025,[32] less than 13 hours after the hard landing.[28] 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.[33]

IM-3

The third lunar delivery mission is undergoing integrated vibration testing with an anticipated mission window in early 2026.[34][35][36] This planned mission is designed to deploy the first of five data relay satellites under a Near Space Network Services contract.[36]

IM-4

The fourth surface delivery mission will also deliver IM's next two data relay satellites.[37][38] This south pole mission includes six NASA CLPS payloads. Among those, the Prospect drill suite (led by the European Space Agency) will search for water ice.[39]

IM-5

The first surface delivery mission to use the larger Nova-D lander, the fifth mission will deliver significantly more cargo then previous missions which used the Nova-C lander. The Lunar south pole mission targeting Mons Malapert will noticeably carry two lunar rovers, the Australian Space Agency’s Roo-ver, and Honeybee Robotic's Lunar Rover.[40]

NSNS

Intuitive Machines became the sole awardee for the Near Space Network Services (NSNS) relay services contract in September 2024.[41][42] Relay services would assist communications and navigation for Moon-based missions.[42] Launch of the first relay services satellite is planned for IM-3, and two more are planned for launch with IM-4.[43]