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<\/p>\nNew funding accelerates space-based nuclear power toward flight readiness\u00a0
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Intuitive Machines, Inc. (Nasdaq: LUNR), a leading space technology and infrastructure services company, today announced an\u00a0$8.2\u00a0million contract extension from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory\u2019s Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL\/RV) to develop next-generation nuclear power systems for spacecraft and lunar infrastructure. Intuitive Machines is using the funding to accelerate\u00a0readiness of compact nuclear power conversion technology that overcomes solar power limitations and enables\u00a0lengthier\u00a0missions on the Moon and in deep space.\u00a0
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The award builds on Intuitive Machines\u2019 earlier $9.5 million progress under a previous\u00a0AFRL\u00a0program, an initiative led by AFRL to develop compact nuclear power systems for space applications. That effort included the design of a Stirling-based power conversion system\u00a0which transforms heat from a radioisotope source into electricity. That phase culminated in a successful Preliminary Design Review by Intuitive Machines in September. With this new funding, the Company will begin preparing the system for flight, marking a critical step toward\u00a0demonstrating\u00a0space-based nuclear power in orbit. \u00a0
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Solar is the most pervasively used energy source to power today\u2019s space missions. However, current approaches limit mission duration in harsh environments like the two-week-long lunar night where temperatures fall below \u2013200 Fahrenheit. These conditions prevent systems from operating\u00a0without supplemental power systems like radioisotope thermoelectric generators\u00a0or battery banks that add bulk, weight, and complexity to the mission footprint. Intuitive Machines believes\u00a0demand is growing for reliable, scalable energy systems like Stirling engines which offer continuous power and heat in a much smaller package to\u00a0support spacecraft and planetary surface missions. Intuitive Machines is meeting that demand by building\u00a0reliable, scalable energy systems that may power spacecraft and planetary surface missions beyond solar\u00a0powered\u00a0limitations.\u00a0
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\u201cThis award moves us from design to flight hardware,\u00a0which is a critical step toward proving that compact nuclear power systems can survive and perform in space,\u201d said Tim Crain\u00a0Ph.D., co-founder and chief growth officer for Intuitive Machines.\u00a0\u201cBecause Intuitive Machines is vertically integrated across space data, infrastructure, and delivery services, we can rapidly innovate across the entire mission lifecycle and deliver compact, high-performance technologies and scalable solutions required for sustained operations in space.\u201d\u00a0
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START: Driving Sustainable Space Operations\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Stirling Technology spAce\u00a0Research experimenT\u00a0(START) is a flight experiment designed to demonstrate\u00a0Stirling power conversion technology in space.\u00a0While onboard the ISS National Laboratory, the Stirling system will be exposed to conditions that cause conventional power systems to degrade more quickly, limiting their operational lifespan and cutting missions short. \u00a0
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By flying the Stirling\u00a0technology\u00a0on the ISS National Lab, Intuitive Machines intends to raise the nuclear power technology system\u2019s readiness level from prototype to space-flown, which is\u00a0a critical step toward commercial, civil, and national security space flight-ready acceptance. The Stirling technology is designed to support critical\u00a0mission needs\u00a0by delivering compact, continuous power in space. These capabilities are essential for enabling stealth spacecraft operations in national security missions, ensuring generators remain\u00a0functional during prolonged darkness and extreme cold, and powering Position, Navigation, and Timing (\u201cPNT\u201d) beacons with long-duration nuclear energy to support sustained lunar navigation.\u00a0In addition,\u00a0Intuitive Machines has been\u00a0studying\u00a0high powered nuclear fission-based systems under contract to the Department of Energy with funding provided by NASA\u2019s Fission Surface Power (\u201cFSP\u201d) project. \u00a0\u00a0
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\u201cWe believe the progress under\u00a0the AFRL program\u00a0strengthens our position for future nuclear power programs including NASA\u2019s FSP initiative,\u201d said Crain. \u201cMaturing dynamic\u00a0power\u00a0conversion and control technologies that scale is how we evolve from a lunar delivery to\u00a0a commercial\u00a0infrastructure service provider on the Moon.\u201d\u00a0
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About Intuitive Machines\u00a0<\/p>\n
Intuitive Machines is a diversified space technology, infrastructure, and services company focused on fundamentally disrupting lunar access economics. In 2024, Intuitive Machines successfully soft-landed the Company\u2019s Nova-C class lunar lander, on the Moon, returning the United States to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972. In 2025, Intuitive Machines returned to the lunar south pole with a second lander. The Company\u2019s products and services are focused through three pillars of space commercialization: Delivery Services, Data Transmission Services, and Infrastructure as a Service.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Forward-Looking Statements\u00a0<\/p>\n
This press release includes \u201cforward-looking statements\u201d within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These statements that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward looking. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by words such as \u201canticipate,\u201d \u201cbelieve,\u201d \u201ccontinue,\u201d \u201ccould,\u201d \u201cestimate,\u201d \u201cexpect,\u201d \u201cintend,\u201d \u201cmay,\u201d \u201cmight,\u201d \u201cplan,\u201d \u201cpossible,\u201d \u201cpotential,\u201d \u201cpredict,\u201d \u201cproject,\u201d \u201cshould,\u201d \u201cstrive,\u201d \u201cwould,\u201d \u201cstrategy,\u201d \u201coutlook,\u201d the negative of these words or other similar expressions, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements include but are not limited to statements regarding: our expectations, results and plans relating to the execution and completion of the AFRL Program. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company\u2019s predictions, projections, or expectations based upon currently available information and data. Our actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The following important factors and uncertainties, among others, could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements in this press release: any delayed launches, launch failures, failure of our satellites or lunar landers to reach their planned orbital locations, risks associated with commercial spaceflight, including any accident on launch or during the journey into space; risks associated with the handling, production and disposition of potentially explosive and ignitable energetic materials and other dangerous chemicals in our operations; failure of our products to operate in the expected manner or defects in our sub-systems; failure to comply with various laws and regulations relating to various aspects of our business; and other public filings and press releases other factors detailed under the section titled Part I, Item 2, Management\u2019s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and the section titled Part II. Item 1A. \u201cRisk Factors\u201d in our most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q our Current Reports on Form 8-K, and in our subsequent\u00a0filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov<\/a>.\u00a0 These forward-looking statements are based on information available as of the date of this press release and current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions, and involve a number of\u00a0judgments, risks, and uncertainties. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date, and we do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New funding accelerates space-based nuclear power toward flight readiness\u00a0 Intuitive Machines, Inc. 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