Lanteris
Lanteris is spacecraft manufacturer addressing both government and commercial industries.
It is valued at $800 million under the terms of the deal.
Golden Dome
The move will expand Intuitive Machines’ data services business, it says. From lunar and Earth-based operations into LEO, MEO, GEO, Moon, Mars, and deep space missions.
In turn, it believes, this will strengthen the company’s position for U.S. government space contracts. The Golden Dome initiative is mentioned, for example, along with the U.S. Space Development Agency’s Layered Architecture and Nasa’s Artemis programme.
The revenue of the combined entity reaches $850 million, says Intuitive. With $920 million of orders in the backlog.
Space programmes
“This strategic acquisition positions Intuitive Machines as a next generation space prime directly in the flow of multi-billion-dollar space programmes,” said Intuitive Machines CEO, Steve Altemus, right.
“This marks the moment Intuitive Machines transitions from a lunar company to a multi-domain space prime, setting the pace for how the industry’s next generation will operate.”
The transaction consists of $450 million in cash and $350 million in Intuitive Machines Class A common shares.
“Intuitive Machines’ vision is to expand its space infrastructure services from LEO, to GEO, beyond the Moon, and to Mars,” said Kam Ghaffarian, Chairman of Intuitive Machines.
“In a time where we see a strong convergence of commercial, civil, and national security space, this strategic acquisition is a transformative step towards realising that vision.”
KinetX
Last month, Intuitive completed the purchase of KinetX, which specialises in deep space navigation.
It highlighted that KinetX had a track record of supporting NASA and other space agencies. The planetary missions it has supported involve navigation services to Mercury, Pluto, asteroids, and the Moon.
In October Intuitive Machines also secured an $8.2 million contract extension from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RV). This is to develop next-generation nuclear power systems for spacecraft and lunar infrastructure.
The company says the funding will help accelerate readiness of “compact nuclear power conversion technology that overcomes solar power limitations and enables lengthier missions on the Moon and in deep space”.
Image: Intuitive Machines – (top) Nova-C lunar lander
See also: Nokia completes prep for 4G/LTE cellular Moon network
