{"id":395087,"date":"2026-03-28T07:12:52","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T21:12:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?p=978626"},"modified":"2026-03-28T07:12:52","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T21:12:52","slug":"nasa-selects-intuitive-machines-to-deliver-artemis-science-tech-to-moon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=395087","title":{"rendered":"NASA Selects Intuitive Machines to Deliver Artemis Science, Tech to Moon"},"content":{"rendered":"
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6 min read<\/p>\n

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A rendering of the Intuitive Machines larger cargo class lunar lander is pictured above with the Honeybee Robotics lunar rover (lower right) and the Australian Space Agency\u2019s Roo-Ver lunar rover (lower left).<\/div>\n
Intuitive Machines<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

NASA has awarded Intuitive Machines of Houston, $180.4 million to deliver NASA-funded science and technology to the lunar surface as part of the agency\u2019s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis program. This lunar delivery, which includes seven payloads \u2014 five of them NASA\u2019s \u2014 is expected to increase understanding of the chemical composition and structure of regolith, as well as the radiation environment in and around the South Pole region. This science will continue to build a sustainable human presence by future Artemis missions.<\/p>\n

\u201cNASA continues to progress lunar science and exploration by enabling commercial lunar landings,\u201d said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, Science Mission Directorate, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. \u201cThese science and technology investigations aim to support long-term sustainability and contribute to a deeper understanding of the lunar surface, test technologies, and prepare for future human missions at the South Pole.\u201d<\/p>\n

Intuitive Machines is responsible for delivering end-to-end payload services to the lunar surface, targeted to land at the Moon\u2019s South Pole region in 2030. This is the fifth CLPS contract for the company, which has delivered payloads to the Moon twice with their IM-1 and IM-2 missions.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs NASA prepares to send humans and more robotic missions to the Moon, regular CLPS deliveries will provide a better understanding of the exploration environment, accelerating progress toward establishing a long-term human presence on the Moon, setting the stage for eventual human missions to Mars,\u201d said Adam Schlesinger, manager of the CLPS initiative at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston.<\/p>\n

The rovers and instruments, totaling 165 pounds (75 kilograms) in collective mass include:<\/p>\n