SpaceMiningData
SpacecraftMoonAnnounced

Intuitive Machines CLPS south-pole delivery (2026 award, 2030 target)

NASA awarded Intuitive Machines $180.4 million on 2026-03-27 to deliver seven payloads, five of them NASA's, to the south polar region, targeted for 2030; they include the MSolo mass spectrometer, which NASA says measures volatiles that can be used as resources, and NIRVSS, designed to detect ices.

Objective. Deliver NASA instruments including MSolo and NIRVSS to characterize volatiles and possible ices in south-polar regolith.

Targeted

Facts

Kind
Spacecraft
Mission type
Prospecting
Target
MoonLunar south pole region
Launch
Planned 2030 (target)
Announcement date not recorded. Record checked 2026-09-25.
Phase
AnnouncedNASA award announcement of 2026-03-27; no mission name or lander build status published in the source reviewed.
Outcome
Not applicable
Why it is included
Stated resource objective

Participants

Operators, payload owners, carriers and customers are recorded separately.

OrganizationRole
Intuitive MachinesOperator
National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationCustomer

Resources and evidence

ResourceEvidence
VolatilesTargeted
Water iceTargeted

Dated events

  1. 2026-03-27

    NASA CLPS award to Intuitive Machines for a 2030 south-pole delivery ($180.4 million)

    Government awardIntuitive MachinesWith Intuitive Machines CLPS south-pole delivery (2026 award, 2030 target), National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationUSD 180,400,000 (official award record)

    NASA awarded Intuitive Machines $180.4 million to deliver seven payloads to the south polar region, targeted for 2030, including volatile- and ice-measuring instruments.

    Sources (2)
    1. [1]NASA Selects Intuitive Machines to Deliver Artemis Science, Tech to Moon
      NASAGovernment recordPublished 2026-03-27Accessed 2026-09-25Supports: amount, date
      NASA has awarded Intuitive Machines of Houston, $180.4 million to deliver NASA-funded science and technology to the lunar surface
      Quote matched the source text when accessed.
    2. [2]NASA Selects Intuitive Machines to Deliver Artemis Science, Tech to Moon
      NASAGovernment recordPublished 2026-03-27Accessed 2026-09-25Supports: resources
      MSolo measures low molecular weight volatiles, which can be used as resources on the lunar surface.
      Quote matched the source text when accessed.

Open evidence gaps

  • Mission name/number (e.g. IM-5) and CLPS task-order designation not given in the NASA article reviewed.

Sources

3 sources
  1. [1]NASA Selects Intuitive Machines to Deliver Artemis Science, Tech to Moon
    NASAGovernment recordPublished 2026-03-27Accessed 2026-09-25Supports: phase, participants
    NASA has awarded Intuitive Machines of Houston, $180.4 million to deliver NASA-funded science and technology to the lunar surface
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.
  2. [2]NASA Selects Intuitive Machines to Deliver Artemis Science, Tech to Moon
    NASAGovernment recordPublished 2026-03-27Accessed 2026-09-25Supports: launch date, target site
    Intuitive Machines is responsible for delivering end-to-end payload services to the lunar surface, targeted to land at the Moon's South Pole region in 2030.
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.
  3. [3]NASA Selects Intuitive Machines to Deliver Artemis Science, Tech to Moon
    NASAGovernment recordPublished 2026-03-27Accessed 2026-09-25Supports: inclusion basis, resources
    MSolo measures low molecular weight volatiles, which can be used as resources on the lunar surface.
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.