Intuitive Machines, a space technology, infrastructure and services leader, is now the prime contractor for operations of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (“LROC”), a key instrument aboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter ("LRO"), and the ShadowCam instrument, a specialized lunar imaging camera on board the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter that provides visibility in light obscured conditions such as dark and shadowed regions of the Moon.

Under the $15.5 million cost-plus-fixed-fee three-year prime contract for LROC and the $4.5 million cost-plus-fixed-fee three-year prime contract for ShadowCam, Intuitive Machines is leading imaging operations, data storage and analysis, and mission support. The Company also is leading LROC’s Moon surface mapping operations, and advance ShadowCam imaging of permanently shadowed regions. Intuitive Machines plans to interpret and integrate the publicly available LROC Planetary Data System archive for its lunar data relay satellite constellation to provide orbital and surface navigation services across government and commercial exploration.

“Exploration is empowered by data-driven insights,” said Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus. “The experienced LROC team has mapped and analyzed the lunar surface in unprecedented detail. Now working alongside our data services group, the LROC team is advancing secure, real-time navigation and precision surface operations, laying the foundation for scalable lunar data services.”

Since LRO’s launch in 2009, LROC has captured more than 2.6 million Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) and more than 640,000 Wide Angle Camera (WAC) high-resolution images of the lunar surface as part of the LRO mission. The mission delivers insights that help shape lunar policy, guide infrastructure planning and development, and establish a framework for deep space exploration.

The LROC images are used to generate global terrain models, high-resolution local terrain models, derive surface feature and composition maps, and provide landing site analysis data supporting NASA’s Artemis campaign and commercial lunar missions. This data represents a significant portion of the more than 1.8 petabytes stored on NASA PDS and serves as a digital backbone for modern lunar mission planning and surface operations.

Intuitive Machines is establishing foundational infrastructure required for secure, sustained lunar operations by combining the capabilities of its planned lunar data relay satellite constellation with the deep space navigation expertise of its wholly owned KinetX subsidiary and the extensive lunar imagery and analyses generated by the LROC team.

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