Lunar cargo startup Intuitive Machines announces its third mission to the surface of the moon, IM-3, will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, planned to launch fourth quarter 2024:https://www.intuitivemachines.com/post/three-peat-intuitive-machines-selects-spacex-falcon-9-rocket-for-third-moon-mission
Correction: First quarter 2024
Three-peat: Intuitive Machines Selects SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket for Third Moon Missionvia Intuitive MachinesIntuitive Machines continues its mission to build a cislunar economy with its third mission (IM-3) to the Moon that will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket.“We’re offering our customers more than lunar surface payload delivery and extreme surface mobility,” said Steve Altemus, the president and CEO of Intuitive Machines. “Our turnkey solution for delivering, communicating, and commanding customer payloads on and around the Moon is revolutionary. Now, we’re proving we can do it at an annual cadence.”The IM-3 mission includes a Nova-C class lander to land 130kg of payloads on the lunar surface. It also has excess capacity on the launch vehicle that accommodates 1000kg of payloads on a rideshare dispenser ring that deploys into a lunar transfer orbit. Intuitive Machines’ “rideshare” option puts customers in a high-energy orbit to efficiently proceed to lunar capture, redirect to points elsewhere in high Earth orbit, or depart for destinations in the solar system.By expanding on Intuitive Machines’ capability developed through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, we can offer an annual launch cadence starting with IM-1 and extending beyond our first three missions. The reliable cadence allows industry partners and customers the lead times needed to secure funding, develop advanced technologies, and become part of building the cislunar economy.
For this mission does the F9 second stage perform the TLI and LOI burns? I was not aware it had that capability.
For this mission does the F9 second stage perform the TLI and LOI burns? I was not aware it had that capability.The Intuitive Machines mission announcement gives no details about those burns. I read through the company website and don’t find any information about that, only references to their rocket engines that enable the lunar landing.
TLI yes, LOI no. Stage lifetime is much shorter than a 3-day-ish cruise it would take before LOI.
Quote from: ugordan on 08/10/2021 06:08 pmTLI yes, LOI no. Stage lifetime is much shorter than a 3-day-ish cruise it would take before LOI.Okay thanks. I couldn’t imagine the F9 2nd stage was capable of LOI but did not even realize it could do TLI.
After launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral, scheduled for early 2022, the Nova-C spacecraft will go into a 185 x 60,000 km Earth orbit, followed by a translunar injection and a maneuver to put it in a 100 km lunar orbit.
So is it confirmed it's going to do TLI instead of something like GTO and then the payload doing its own thing to get to the Moon (kinda like Beresheet)?
So if I'm not mistaken, this is not a CLPS mission, it's a completely private commercial lunar mission?
By expanding on Intuitive Machines’ capability developed through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, we can offer an annual launch cadence starting with IM-1 and extending beyond our first three missions.
Overall, IM is one of four Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) providers preparing for robotic Moon landings as part of NASA’s Artemis program — though IM-3 is not associated with CLPS.
NSF article seems to confirm this is not a CLPS mission: Intuitive Machines adds third mission following first lunar landings in 2022QuoteOverall, IM is one of four Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) providers preparing for robotic Moon landings as part of NASA’s Artemis program — though IM-3 is not associated with CLPS.
The Reiner Gamma mission has been awarded to Intuitive Machines for launch on the IM-3 Nova-C lander in 2024:NASA Selects Intuitive Machines for New Lunar Science Delivery [dated Nov. 17]QuoteConcept image of Intuitive Machines Noca-C lander for the IM-3 mission taking four NASA investigations to Reiner Gamma.Credits: Intuitive MachinesNASA has awarded Intuitive Machines of Houston a contract to deliver research, including science investigations and a technology demonstration, to the Moon in 2024. The commercial delivery is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and the Artemis program.The investigations aboard Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander are destined for Reiner Gamma, one of the most distinctive and enigmatic natural features on the Moon. Known as a lunar swirl, Reiner Gamma is on the western edge of the Moon, as seen from Earth, and is one of the most visible lunar swirls. Scientists continue to learn what lunar swirls are, how they form, and their relationship to the Moon’s magnetic field.<snip>Intuitive Machines will receive $77.5 million for the contract and is responsible for end-to-end delivery services, including payload integration, delivery from Earth to the surface of the Moon, and payload operations. This is Intuitive Machines’ third task order award, the first of which is a delivery to Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon during the first quarter of 2022. This award is the seventh surface delivery task award issued to a CLPS partner.<snip>The four investigations Intuitive Machines will deliver to Reiner Gamma are collectively expected to be about 203 pounds (92 kg) in mass and include:• Lunar Vertex is among NASA’s Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon (PRISM) selections. It is a combination of stationary lander payloads and a rover that will make detailed measurements of the magnetic field, plasma environment and regolith properties. The lander and rover data will augment observations collected in orbit. Combined, the observations will help show how these mysterious lunar swirls form and evolve – and how they connect to local magnetic fields in the same regions. Lunar Vertex is funded through the agency’s Science Mission Directorate and is led by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland.• Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration (CADRE) consists of mobile robots programmed to work as an autonomous team to explore the lunar surface, collect data, and map different areas of the Moon in 3D. CADRE uses its inertial measurement unit, stereo cameras, and a Sun sensor to track the position of each robot as they explore the lunar surface. CADRE is funded by NASA’s Game Changing Development program under the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and is led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.• MoonLIGHT retroreflector is a laser retroreflector, which reflects laser beams sent from Earth directly back from the Moon to receivers on Earth. This allows very precise measurement of the distances between the reflector and the ground station. This technique can be used to investigate relativity, the gravitational dynamics of the Earth-Moon system and the deep lunar interior. MoonLIGHT is managed by the European Space Agency (ESA).• Lunar Space Environment Monitor (LUSEM) uses a pair of apertures to detect high-energy particles on the lunar surface. LUSEM will monitor variations in the near-surface space environment when the Moon is inside and outside Earth’s magnetotail – the trailing end of the magnetic fields surrounding our planet, which can serve as a buffer for incoming radiation. LUSEM is managed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) in South Korea.
Concept image of Intuitive Machines Noca-C lander for the IM-3 mission taking four NASA investigations to Reiner Gamma.Credits: Intuitive MachinesNASA has awarded Intuitive Machines of Houston a contract to deliver research, including science investigations and a technology demonstration, to the Moon in 2024. The commercial delivery is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and the Artemis program.The investigations aboard Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander are destined for Reiner Gamma, one of the most distinctive and enigmatic natural features on the Moon. Known as a lunar swirl, Reiner Gamma is on the western edge of the Moon, as seen from Earth, and is one of the most visible lunar swirls. Scientists continue to learn what lunar swirls are, how they form, and their relationship to the Moon’s magnetic field.<snip>Intuitive Machines will receive $77.5 million for the contract and is responsible for end-to-end delivery services, including payload integration, delivery from Earth to the surface of the Moon, and payload operations. This is Intuitive Machines’ third task order award, the first of which is a delivery to Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon during the first quarter of 2022. This award is the seventh surface delivery task award issued to a CLPS partner.<snip>The four investigations Intuitive Machines will deliver to Reiner Gamma are collectively expected to be about 203 pounds (92 kg) in mass and include:• Lunar Vertex is among NASA’s Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon (PRISM) selections. It is a combination of stationary lander payloads and a rover that will make detailed measurements of the magnetic field, plasma environment and regolith properties. The lander and rover data will augment observations collected in orbit. Combined, the observations will help show how these mysterious lunar swirls form and evolve – and how they connect to local magnetic fields in the same regions. Lunar Vertex is funded through the agency’s Science Mission Directorate and is led by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland.• Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration (CADRE) consists of mobile robots programmed to work as an autonomous team to explore the lunar surface, collect data, and map different areas of the Moon in 3D. CADRE uses its inertial measurement unit, stereo cameras, and a Sun sensor to track the position of each robot as they explore the lunar surface. CADRE is funded by NASA’s Game Changing Development program under the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and is led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.• MoonLIGHT retroreflector is a laser retroreflector, which reflects laser beams sent from Earth directly back from the Moon to receivers on Earth. This allows very precise measurement of the distances between the reflector and the ground station. This technique can be used to investigate relativity, the gravitational dynamics of the Earth-Moon system and the deep lunar interior. MoonLIGHT is managed by the European Space Agency (ESA).• Lunar Space Environment Monitor (LUSEM) uses a pair of apertures to detect high-energy particles on the lunar surface. LUSEM will monitor variations in the near-surface space environment when the Moon is inside and outside Earth’s magnetotail – the trailing end of the magnetic fields surrounding our planet, which can serve as a buffer for incoming radiation. LUSEM is managed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) in South Korea.
In addition to CLPS payloads, IM-3 will continue to build intuitive Machines’ lunar data relay services program, Khonstellation. The second node in Khonstellation will deliver the company’s data services satellite (Khon2) to a L2 orbit, adding to the first node (Khon1) delivered to a frozen lunar orbit during Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 south pole mission in fourth quarter of 2022.
All three of our booked missions are launching on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket from NASA Kennedy.
The rover being tested is similar in size and appearance to the flight models of the CADRE rovers, which are still being built. Slated to arrive at the Moon in spring 2024 as part of NASA's CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative, CADRE is designed to demonstrate that multiple robots can cooperate and explore together autonomously – without direct input from human mission controllers.
The technology demonstration will launch as a payload on the third lunar lander mission by Intuitive Machines, called IM-3, under the CLPS initiative, which is managed by NASA's Science Mission Directorate, also in Washington.
The company has two more lunar lander missions in development, with IM-2 tentatively planned for the fourth quarter and IM-3 in early 2025.
The next mission, IM-3, will be delayed because of “NASA payload delivery dates moving to the right,” he said. The company is now projecting that mission to launch in October or November of 2025.
Mission 3: VestriOur third mission will feature our 200kg production vehicle, Vestri, which is designed to return to our target Near Earth Asteroid and dock with the body in space. Vestri’s insights and characterization of our target asteroid’s composition will allow us to obtain the quality and quantity of valuable elements located on the asteroid. The Vestri spacecraft will be developed completely in-house from the start, and launch on Intuitive Machines’ third mission in 2025.If successful, this mission will be the first private mission to land on another body outside of our Earth-Moon system and will move us closer to realizing our mission of making off-world resources accessible to all humankind.
Firing on all cylinders: Announcing $40M and Mission 3 [Aug 20]QuoteMission 3: VestriOur third mission will feature our 200kg production vehicle, Vestri, which is designed to return to our target Near Earth Asteroid and dock with the body in space. Vestri’s insights and characterization of our target asteroid’s composition will allow us to obtain the quality and quantity of valuable elements located on the asteroid. The Vestri spacecraft will be developed completely in-house from the start, and launch on Intuitive Machines’ third mission in 2025.If successful, this mission will be the first private mission to land on another body outside of our Earth-Moon system and will move us closer to realizing our mission of making off-world resources accessible to all humankind.
In an earnings call this morning, Intuitive Machines says they're now targeting a February 2025 launch window for their IM-2 lander mission. IM-3 planned for early 2026.
Backlog increased by $47.6 million as of September 30, 2024 compared to December 31, 2023, due to $235.6 million in new awards primarily associated with a new IM-4 CLPS contract awarded in the third quarter of 2024, the Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services design project, a new commercial payload contract on the IM-3 mission, task order modifications to the IM-2 CLPS contract and the IM-3 CLPS contract.
IM-3Remains on track for roughly one year from now, incorporating findings and corrective actions from the reviews
Introducing Pay-by-the-Minute ServiceRevenue generation beyond the initial $150 million following the first satellite deployment on the IM-3 mission
Accomplished payload testing of three Jet Propulsion Laboratory-developed rovers for IM-3; IM-3 lunar mission remains on track for first half of 2026 and will incorporate IM-2 lessons learned
Also in early FY 2026, Intuitive Machines' third commercial delivery will include the first Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon (PRISM) payload. The first PRISM-1 payload, Lunar Vertex, is set to land in of FY 2026, alongside the STMD Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration (CADRE) rovers and two international payloads, one from South Korea and the other from the European Space Agency (ESA).
In FY 2026, LDEP will complete a delivery for integration payloads for four CLPS deliveries. Intuitive Machines' third commercial delivery will include LDEP's first PRISM payload. The first PRISM-1 payload, Lunar Vertex, is set to land in the first quarter of FY 2026, alongside the STMD Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration (CADRE) rovers and two international payloads, a radiation sensor from South Korea and a retroreflector from the European Space Agency (ESA).
Q4 FY2025 Delivery of PRISM-1 payload (Lunar Vertex) to Intuitive Machines for integration on IM-3
NASA made three PRISM-1 selections in June of 2021 and will deliver the first of these payloads to high science-value locations on the lunar surface as early as the second quarter of FY 2026: the Reiner Gamma albedo swirl on the lunar nearside
The three PRISM-1 selections were: Lunar Vertex (LVx) which is a combination of stationary lander payloads and a rover that will make detailed measurements of the magnetic field, plasma environment, and regolith properties
LVx is on the CLPS manifest awarded to Intuitive Machines with lunar surface delivery of these payloads no earlierthan the second quarter of FY 2026.
Our IM-3 mission contract for lunar payload services became a loss contract in 2021 due to estimated contract costs exceeding the estimated amount of consideration that we expected to receive. For the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, changes in estimated contract costs resulted in an additional $19.6 million and $9.9 million in contract loss, respectively. The increase in estimated contract costs was primarily driven by the alignment of the mission schedule with the completion of an internally-developed satellite to be placed in lunar orbit to meet NSNS contract obligations. The period of performance for this contract currently runs through June 2026. However, these efforts are expected to extend the mission launch window to the second half of 2026. As of September 30, 2025, this contract was approximately 80% complete. As of September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, the contract loss provision recorded in contract liabilities, current was $7.9 million and $7.0 million, respectively, and $0.4 million and zero, respectively, in contract liabilities, non-current in our condensed consolidated balance sheets.
Lunaria One has received an Overseas Payload Permit from the Australian Government, authorising the overseas launch of its ALEPH-1 payload aboard Intuitive Machines’ NOVA-C lunar lander.Lunaria One understands this to be the first time an Australian payload has been issued an Overseas Payload Permit for travel to the Moon.With regulatory approval in place, the ALEPH-1 payload is progressing through final qualification testing, led by RMIT University, Lunaria One’s lead technical partner. These activities are focused on verifying the payload’s readiness for the conditions of launch and the lunar environment.The ALEPH project is supported by a $3.6 million grant from the Australian Space Agency through the Moon to Mars Demonstrator Mission Grants, part of the national Moon to Mars initiative, which supports the development and maturation of space technologies and the growth of sovereign capability across Australia’s space sector and adjacent industries. The ALEPH-1 mission will demonstrate technologies designed to support and sustain a plant payload in the lunar environment.Payload integration with Intuitive Machines in the United States is planned for early next year, following completion of the remaining test programme, ahead of a lunar launch expected later in the year.“This approval marks an important transition point for the project,” said Lauren Fell, Director of Lunaria One. “As final testing is being completed, our focus is on ensuring the payload is ready for integration and the journey ahead.”
