Intuitive Machines says it is ready to fly to the Moon

Enlarge / An artist's rendering of the Nova-C spacecraft on the lunar surface. (credit: Intuitive Machines)

A Houston-based company that is one of several US firms building private lunar landers, Intuitive Machines, says its 3-meter-tall Nova-C lander is finally ready to take to the skies.

"Our Nova-C lander is completely built," said Steve Altemus, co-founder and chief executive of Intuitive Machines, in an earnings call on Monday. "We will deliver a lunar lander ready to go in September."

Intuitive Machines is competing with other US companies, including Astrobotic and Firefly, for NASA-funded missions to deliver science experiments and other payloads to the surface of the Moon. Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic were formally awarded the first of these "Commercial Lunar Payload Services" contracts in May 2019. Each of the companies is running a couple of years behind schedule in producing their landers, however.