Intuitive Machines Secures $8.2 Million AFRL Contract Extension to Advance In-Space Nuclear Power Technology
Launch to ISS: August 27th 2027
“This strategic acquisition positions Intuitive Machines as a next generation space prime directly in the flow of multi-billion-dollar space programs. The combined entity revenue exceeds $850 million*, with positive Adjusted EBITDA*, and $920 million* in backlog as of September 30, 2025,” said Intuitive Machines CEO, Steve Altemus. “This marks the moment Intuitive Machines transitions from a lunar company to a multi-domain space prime, setting the pace for how the industry’s next generation will operate.”
SUPER BIG news, merge with Maxar, now Lanteris Space!!!https://www.intuitivemachines.com/post/intuitive-machines-to-acquire-lanteris-space-systems-creating-the-next-generation-commercial-civil
Let's see if I can get the background here mostly right:MAXAR is struggling to execute with red flags everywhere (OSAM-1, Gateway PPE, Echostar, etc.). A private equity firm swoops in, buys cheap and splits the company into two (space hardware/manufacturing + imagery/AI). They then sell the space hardware part (they named "Lanteris") to IM. Probably not a bad move for Advent LPs. I hope IM are really good at integrating/managing an acquired company that wasn't executing properly. Acquiring AND properly integrating space hardware companies is not for the faint of heart. Best of luck to them!
Dcubed today announced that it has been selected by Intuitive Machines, to provide solar power for one of Intuitive Machines’ first Space Data Network (SDN) satellites. The SDN is a scalable, intelligent network architecture designed to deliver minimal latency space data services like communications, autonomous coordination, and space-based IoT, powered by Intuitive Machines’ core communications, Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) technology. Dcubed’s solar array technology will power the initial spacecraft, scheduled for 2026. Dcubed will deliver the solar array power subsystem for the first of five Intuitive Machines satellites. The system includes two rigid deployable solar wings with a 2 kW end-of-life total power output. Leveraging Dcubed’s agile development capabilities and robust supply chain, Dcubed has committed to a rapid delivery schedule. Moreover, the construction of the array will leverage Dcubed’s state of the art robotic assembly line that is key to Dcubed’s industrialization strategy. “The data network we’re building lays the foundation for sustainable lunar operations by providing data, transmission, and navigation services essential for exploration and infrastructure so customers can access, coordinate, and act on space data with minimal latency,” said Gary Spexarth, Lander Production Manager for Intuitive Machines. “Dcubed’s responsiveness and reliable solar array technology support the pace and precision required to deploy the Lunar Data Network as part of our broader Space Data Network.” The Lunar Data Network is the first segment of an SDN that Intuitive Machines is building, enabling: • High-capacity data transmission, like 4K video and precision PNT services to support landing site selection, resource prospecting, and autonomous mobility. • Autonomous operations, delivering infrastructure, logistics, and mapping capabilities to support sustained lunar exploration. • Scalable support for lunar cargo and infrastructure delivery, strengthening long-duration operations and expanding access to lunar surface assets.
Nov 12, 2025Star Catcher and Intuitive Machines just showed how lasers could power lunar rovers.Engineers joke they'd do unspeakable things for an extra watt on the Moon. But what if they had extra kilowatts? Watch Intuitive Machines' Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) drive by for a charge, and learn how space power beaming unlocks the Moon.Star Catcher, the space energy company, is building the first power grid in space. Using optical power beaming, the Star Catcher Network transmits concentrated solar energy directly to satellites’ existing solar arrays. Scale your available power by up to 10x with no hardware modifications required.In a recent demo at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (across the historic 2.8 mile [4.6 km] Launch and Landing Facility runway that the Space Shuttle used for landings), Star Catcher beamed energy via high-efficiency lasers to Intuitive Machines’ lunar terrain vehicle, proving that wireless optical power beaming can keep missions running in the Moon’s harshest environments, including the South Pole and permanently shadowed craters.The lunar South Pole is a prime target for NASA’s Artemis program and other international missions because of its potential water ice deposits, which could be turned into life support resources and rocket fuel. But it’s also one of the hardest places to operate: long lunar nights, extreme cold, and deep shadows make traditional solar panels and batteries heavy, complex, and limited.Star Catcher’s vision is an orbital energy grid that collects sunlight in space, converts it into laser power, and beams it down to standard solar panels on the surface working with no custom receivers — and no heavy, expensive, sprawling solar farms.During this test campaign, Star Catcher set the new world record for optical power beaming — surpassing DARPA's previous records showing that laser power beaming can deliver meaningful, scalable energy for extending lunar surface operations.Learn more:Intuitive Machines: www.intuitivemachines.comStar Catcher: www.star-catcher.com
Intuitive Machines@Int_Machines·Powering exploration where sunlight can’t reach. ⚡🌕 Moon RACER, Intuitive Machines’ Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV), successfully received wireless energy from @StarCatcherInd, proving compatibility with #OrbitalPowerSystems to keep missions running through the #LunarNight
