NASA has selected Intuitive Machines to deliver a suite of scientific payloads to the Moon’s south polar region in 2027, marking the first commercial lunar lander award in over a year. The task order, valued at $116.9 million, was announced on August 29 and is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.
Under the contract, Intuitive Machines will use its Nova-C lander to deliver six payloads, totaling 79 kilograms, to the lunar south pole. These payloads include experiments from NASA centers, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the University of Colorado Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. The mission will feature a diverse range of scientific instruments, including biology, planetary science, and space science experiments, as well as a laser retroreflector array. Notably, the ESA’s PROSPECT payload will conduct subsurface drilling to search for volatiles such as water ice.
Chris Culbert, CLPS program manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, emphasized that this mission will significantly advance our understanding of the Moon’s environment. Intuitive Machines also noted potential availability of space on the lander for additional commercial payloads, though no specific customers have been announced.
This award is the fourth for Intuitive Machines under the CLPS program, surpassing other companies like Astrobotic and Firefly Aerospace, which have secured two task orders each. Intuitive Machines previously landed its Odysseus lander on the Moon during the IM-1 mission in February, albeit with some landing issues.
The CP-22 task order is NASA‘s first lunar landing mission under the CLPS program since March 2023. Culbert indicated that this award, along with a forthcoming CP-21 mission, reflects NASA’s commitment to a robust cadence of lunar exploration. Upcoming missions include Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 and Firefly’s Blue Ghost 1, with launches anticipated later this year and early 2025.