NASA selects Intuitive Machines for south pole lunar lander mission
NASA Space Technology Intuitive Machines will use its Nova-C lander for the CLPS task order awarded by NASA Aug. 29. Credit: Intuitive MachinesWASHINGTON — NASA has selected Intuitive Machines to deliver a set of payloads to the south polar region of the moon in 2027, the first award under a commercial lunar lander program in nearly a year and a half.NASA announced Aug. 29 that it awarded a task order valued at $116.9 million through its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program to Intuitive Machines. That company’s Nova-C lander will deliver six payloads, with a combined mass of 79 kilograms, to the south polar region of the moon in 2027.The six payloads — four from NASA centers, one from the European Space Agency and one from the University of Colorado Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric...
