Summary by Futu AI
Intuitive Machines has been awarded a $116.9 million NASA contract to deliver six science and technology payloads to the Moon's South Pole. The mission includes the European Space Agency-led PROSPECT drill suite and aims to explore regions targeted for sustained human operations. This marks the company's fourth Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contract.The payload package comprises diverse scientific instruments including LEIA for studying yeast in lunar conditions, PROSPECT for subsurface sample extraction, LRA for precision distance measurements, SEAL for investigating landing effects on lunar regolith, MAG for magnetic field characterization, and L-CIRiS for surface composition mapping and temperature distribution analysis.The company is currently finalizing its second lunar mission with lander delivery scheduled for late 2024, while simultaneously progressing on its third lunar mission's systems integration and testing. Earlier in 2024, Intuitive Machines achieved a milestone by becoming the first commercial company to successfully land and operate on the lunar surface.
