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| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Operator | SpaceX | Intuitive Machines |
| Prime contractor | SpaceX | Intuitive Machines |
| Status | In development | In development |
| Customer | NASA-HLS | NASA-CLPS |
| Launch date | 2027 (NET — Artemis III) | 2026-Q4 (NET) |
| Landing date | — | — |
| Landing site | Lunar south pole (NASA-curated candidate region near 84-90°S) | Reiner Gamma lunar swirl, Oceanus Procellarum |
| Payload | ~100 tonnes to lunar surface (sustained variant target) (2024-04-16) | 4 NASA payloads + rover + data-relay satellite + secondary payloads (2026-05-28) |
| Contract value | $2.89B + $1.15B Option B = $4.04B total (2022-11-15) | — |
| Outcome | Selected April 2021 as sole HLS provider for Artemis III. Architecture requires Super Heavy launch + multiple Starship tanker refueling flights in LEO + transit to NRHO + rendezvous with Orion (SLS). NASA OIG IG-26-004 (March 2026) flagged crew-rescue capability as open risk. October 2025: NASA acting administrator Sean Duffy reopened Artemis III lander contract to competition due to Starship development pace. | Targeted to be the first surface mission to land inside a lunar magnetic anomaly (swirl). Manifest includes three NASA-CADRE shoebox rovers, an ESA actuated laser retroreflector, and the Australian ALEPH-1 plant-growth payload. |
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Underlying dataset: GET /api/moon/landers. Methodology: /moon/methodology.