NASA awarded Houston-based Intuitive Machines a $2.5 million contract, which the company said it would use to help develop a “heavy-cargo-class” lunar lander, according to a recent news release.
The lander, which the company said is still in development, is being designed as part of a greater plan to help NASA explore the solar system. Dubbed the Moon-to-Mars Architecture, the plan’s goal is to establish a framework for sustainable, human-led exploration of deep space, according to their website. NASA’s four-step strategy is to first return to the moon, explore it, develop a sustainable human presence and finally set the first pair of boots down on the surface of Mars.
Intuitive Machines’ lander is geared toward overcoming the logistical challenges associated with the moon’s barren, low-gravity surface. Company CEO Steve Altemus said Intuitive Machine’s experience with space exploration makes it the perfect choice to help NASA with its plan to put a human on Mars…