Texas Space Commission Selects Intuitive Machines to Advance Earth Reentry and Microgravity Biomanufacturing Spacecraft

By: Intuitive Machines, LLC via GlobeNewswire

April 29, 2025 at 08:30 AM EDT

HOUSTON, April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Texas Space Commission has selected Intuitive Machines, Inc. (Nasdaq: LUNR) (“Intuitive Machines”) (“Company”), a leading space technology, infrastructure, and services company, for a grant up to $10 million from the Space Exploration and Research Fund (“SEARF”). This funding supports the development of an Earth reentry vehicle and orbital fabrication lab designed to enable microgravity biomanufacturing and is intended to serve as a critical risk-reduction platform for the Company’s future lunar sample return missions.

“Returning samples from space is one of the most complex challenges in exploration,” said Intuitive Machines Chief Growth Officer Tim Crain, Ph.D. “We are grateful to the State of Texas for fostering an environment where companies like Intuitive Machines may develop transformative space technologies. We hope that the Texas Space Commission’s investment in this capability helps create high-tech jobs, expand Texas’ leadership in space commercialization, and lay the foundation for new industries in the Lone Star State.”

Intuitive Machines Earth Reentry Vehicle
Caption: Render of Intuitive Machines’ Earth reentry vehicle designed to securely return payloads to Earth’s surface as part of the company’s long-term lunar commercialization strategy. Image credit: Intuitive Machines.

In 2022, Intuitive Machines began initial development of the preliminary design for an Earth reentry vehicle capable of supporting missions returning from low Earth orbit, the Moon, or Mars. As Intuitive Machines refined this technology, it partnered with Rhodium Scientific, for commercial microgravity biomanufacturing in space, where certain materials, processes, and pharmaceuticals can be more efficiently produced or exhibit unique properties not possible on Earth.

“Rhodium Scientific is a leader in biomanufacturing in space,” said Rhodium Scientific Founder and CEO Olivia Gámez Holzhaus. “Our work as performers perfecting our processes for in-space biomanufacturing with DTRA and DARPA has enabled us to establish all hardware and protocols necessary for a pipeline to develop and scale biomanufacturing in space.”

Rhodium Scientific Variable Gravity Centrifuge
Caption: Rhodium’s Variable Gravity Centrifuge, an industry-leading International Space Station flight facility capable of producing Lunar, Martian and Earth gravity equivalent forces having tested over 600 biological samples within one year. Image Credit: Rhodium Scientific.

Together, Intuitive Machines and Rhodium Scientific are developing and managing technical approaches to payload integration for both lunar and low Earth orbit missions, including safe reentry through Earth’s atmosphere. The 12-month SEARF phase one effort will assist in advancing the collaboration with Rhodium Scientific and will support spacecraft development through Critical Design Review and the creation of a full-scale ground prototype for customer development. The Company believes this foundational phase and its partnership with Rhodium Scientific will pave the way for future grants and large-scale projects to bring the reentry system closer to flight readiness.

About Intuitive Machines

Intuitive Machines is a diversified space technology, infrastructure, and services company focused on fundamentally disrupting lunar access economics. In 2024, Intuitive Machines successfully landed the Company’s Nova-C class lunar lander, on the Moon, returning the United States to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972. The Company returned to the Moon again in 2025. The Company’s products and services are offered through its four in-space business units: Lunar Access Services, Orbital Services, Lunar Data Services, and Space Products and Infrastructure. For more information, please visit intuitivemachines.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” 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 “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “strive,” “would,” “strategy,” “outlook,” 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 advance earth reentry and microgravity biomanufacturing spacecraft. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s 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’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and the section titled Part II. Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in our most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q our Current Reports on Form 8-K, and in our subsequent filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

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 judgments, 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.

Contacts

For investor inquiries:

investors@intuitivemachines.com

For media inquiries:

press@intuitivemachines.com

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