Intuitive Machines looking to aid NASA's Mars Sample Return mission
What's the story
Private aerospace company, Intuitive Machines, has proposed a technology-based solution to aid NASA's Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission. The company's executives revealed their plans during a recent quarterly earnings call. CEO Steve Altemus stated, "Intuitive Machines has engaged the agency and intends to provide a solution set based on technology architecture we have been developing for lunar material return." This comes after NASA acknowledged the complexity and costliness of the MSR program last month.
Collaboration
MSR mission seeks commercial assistance
NASA's MSR program, a 15-year mission costing $11 billion, aims to collect and return samples from Mars. However, the agency admitted in April that the mission's architecture had become overly complex and expensive. As a result, NASA announced its intention to seek proposals from commercial industries to simplify and reduce the cost of the mission. This announcement has prompted Intuitive Machines' proposal for a solution.
Achievements
Track record and future plans
Intuitive Machines made history earlier this year by becoming the first private entity to land a spacecraft on the Moon. The company is now planning to adapt this technology for Mars, which could potentially be highly profitable. In addition to its initial lunar landing, Intuitive Machines is preparing for its second lunar mission later this year, and a third mission in 2025 with NASA as its anchor customer.
Finances
A look at the financial performance
Despite a net loss of $5.4 million, Intuitive Machines reported $55.2 million cash-on-hand, and finished the quarter with $73 million in revenue, a 300% rise from the first quarter of last year. This significant growth was primarily due to earnings from an engineering services contract with NASA. The company's interim CFO Steven Vontur, noted during the call that there has been significant commercial and international interest in lunar flights, which they expect to continue growing over the next few years.