Intuitive Machines vs Astrobotic

The two leading commercial lunar lander companies, both selected as primary vendors under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Both attempted their first Moon missions in early 2024 with mixed results: Intuitive Machines' Odysseus became the first U.S. vehicle to reach the lunar surface in over 50 years (though it tipped on landing), while Astrobotic's Peregrine suffered a propulsion failure and never reached the Moon.

First Missions: Hard Lessons on the Moon

Astrobotic's Peregrine Mission One launched on January 8, 2024 aboard a ULA Vulcan Centaur (that rocket's maiden flight). Shortly after separation from the upper stage, Peregrine experienced a propulsion system anomaly that caused a propellant leak, preventing orbit adjustments needed for lunar transit. The lander was unable to reach the Moon and eventually re-entered Earth's atmosphere over the South Pacific. An investigation pointed to a valve failure in the propulsion system. Despite the mission failure, the launch itself was a success for ULA's Vulcan, and several NASA payloads collected some data during the short operational period.

Intuitive Machines' IM-1 mission (Odysseus lander) launched on February 15, 2024 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 and successfully entered lunar orbit. During descent, a laser rangefinder that was supposed to be the primary navigation sensor was found to have a safety switch left in the wrong position, disabling it. Engineers improvised by patching a NASA experimental lidar payload into the navigation system in real-time. Odysseus landed near Malapert A crater in the lunar south pole region on February 22, 2024, but one of its landing legs caught on the surface, causing it to tip over on its side. Despite the orientation, the lander operated for approximately 7 days and returned data from several payloads. It was the first U.S. lunar landing since Apollo 17 in 1972 and the first commercial lunar landing in history.

The CLPS Model: NASA's Commercial Lunar Bet

NASA's CLPS program is an experiment in commercial procurement: instead of building its own landers, NASA buys delivery services from commercial companies under fixed-price contracts. The philosophy intentionally accepts a higher risk of mission failure in exchange for lower costs and faster timelines compared to traditional NASA-built missions. Both Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic are among a dozen CLPS-selected vendors, but they have received the largest and most numerous task orders.

The early CLPS results vindicated both the approach and the risk tolerance. Neither company's first mission was a complete success, but neither was a total loss either. Intuitive Machines demonstrated the fundamental capability to reach the lunar surface, and Astrobotic gained valuable data on its propulsion system failure. NASA has continued to award both companies additional CLPS task orders, signaling confidence that iterative improvement will eventually produce reliable commercial lunar delivery. Astrobotic's Griffin lander was originally designed to carry NASA's VIPER rover to the lunar south pole to prospect for water ice, but NASA cancelled VIPER in July 2024 citing cost overruns and schedule delays. Griffin is being repurposed for other payloads, and Astrobotic continues to develop the lander as its heavy-class delivery vehicle.

Beyond Delivery: Lunar Services Economy

Both companies envision themselves as more than delivery trucks for NASA payloads. Intuitive Machines is developing a Lunar Data Network to provide communications and navigation services on and around the Moon, essentially building lunar infrastructure that future missions (government and commercial) would pay to use. Astrobotic, drawing on its Carnegie Mellon robotics heritage, has developed the MoonRanger micro-rover and is positioning itself for surface mobility services alongside payload delivery. The commercial lunar economy is still nascent (virtually all revenue comes from NASA CLPS contracts), but both companies are betting that as Artemis program activity increases and international interest in the lunar surface grows, there will be demand for commercial services beyond one-way cargo delivery.