NASA has selected Intuitive Machines for a mission to deliver cargo to the Moon’s South Pole. The flight will take place in 2027. NASA will pay $116.9 million for the delivery of 79 kilograms of cargo.
CPLS program
The contract for cargo delivery was issued by NASA under the CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) program. Its main objective is to involve the private sector in the exploration of the Moon.
This is the fourth award that Intuitive Machines has received. This is more than any other company participating in the CLPS program. Astrobotic and Firefly Aerospace have received two orders each, and Draper has received one.
It should also be mentioned that at the moment only Intuitive Machines managed to land its vehicle on the Moon, although it was not quite successful. Astrobotic also launched a mission to the Moon, but due to an accident it did not reach its destination.
$1.5 million per kilogram
The value of the new contract received by Intuitive Machines, amounted to 116.9 million dollars. The Nova-C spacecraft will be used for the mission. It will deliver six cargoes totaling 79 kilograms to the South Polar region of the Moon. Thus, NASA pays approximately $1.5 million for the delivery of one kilogram to the Moon.
Four of the mission’s six payloads are owned by NASA science centers, one by ESA, and another by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder. These include experiments in biology, planetology and space science, as well as a laser reflector. The ESA payload is represented by the PROSPECT instrument suite, which will drill to a depth of one meter into the lunar surface, take samples, and then study them in a miniature laboratory to determine the presence of volatiles.
Intuitive Machines said in a statement that in addition to NASA’s cargo, Nova-C would also be able to take payloads from commercial customers to the Moon. But at the moment nothing is known about their availability. The mission is scheduled to be launched in 2027.
Earlier we told you about Intuitive Machines’ intention to save the VIPER lunar rover.
According to Spacenews
