Intuitive Machines Opens Lunar Production and Operations Facility at the Houston Spaceport and Confirms Lander Ship Date in the Coming Days
HOUSTON, Sept. 29, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intuitive Machines, Inc. (NASDAQ:LUNR, LUNRW))) ("Intuitive Machines") ("Company"), a leading space exploration, infrastructure, and services company, today opened its Lunar Production and Operations Center.
Located at the Houston Spaceport in Houston, Texas, the Intuitive Machines Lunar Production and Operations Center represents a new lunar access capability for the United States, NASA, and global commercial partners. Construction on the site began in June 2021, with the now completed facility ready to support each of Intuitive Machines' three NASA-awarded missions. Designed to support each of the Company's four core business units, the Lunar Production and Operations Center serves as the pivotal bridge between the Earth and the Moon, enabling sustainable, safe, and efficient human and robotic space exploration.
At a press conference held today, Intuitive Machines confirmed its first mission lunar lander, Nova-C, will be shipped from the new facility in the coming days ahead of its upcoming launch. The mission to deliver NASA and commercial payloads to the Moon's south pole marks the United States' first attempted soft landing since Apollo 17 in 1972.
"The Moon is no longer a distant dream; it's a destination within our grasp, and this facility is our lunar gateway – a national asset," said Steve Altemus, Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Intuitive Machines. "We're proud that the United States' return to the Moon will have Houston, Texas, stamped on the shipping container that will leave this facility for launch, and we look forward to working under a roof that matches the technical excellence our employees demonstrate each day."
"The opening of Intuitive Machines' facility at the Houston Spaceport was made possible by the tireless support of teammates like Burns & McDonnell, the Houston Airport System, and Griffin Partners," said Jack Fischer, Vice President of Production and Operations at Intuitive Machines. "The thought and support provided by our partners built a perfect home that can grow with us, removing barriers for our company to reach its potential. In that spirit, we've left several walls that are simply white; they are empty pages in a future history book. One which we look forward to writing from our new home in Space City."
"Houston has always been a city that reaches for the stars, and with Intuitive Machines operating at the Houston Spaceport, our city is poised to shine even brighter in the cosmos," said Mayor Sylvester Turner. "Aerospace is more than a source of pride for our city; the innovation here is just another example of why the Houston economy is thriving. Intuitive Machines is fueling high-paying jobs, fostering innovation, and attracting talent and investment from every corner of the world."
"Today's celebration confirms that Houston is home to the fastest growing commercial spaceport on the planet and is also home to the first and only 5-Star airport in North America," said Mario Diaz, Director of Aviation for Houston Airports. "The skies and the stars are fast converging, and the merger is reshaping the way we think about travel, innovation and human potential. We are delighted to join Intuitive Machines in endeavoring towards a future where humanity's reach extends even further than we can dare to imagine today."
"When your business is lean and your goal is to be the first private company in history to land on the moon, your only choice is to pioneer something new," says Leslie Duke, Burns & McDonnell CEO-elect. "Our work is always about more than buildings; it is about solving our clients' challenges. While Burns & McDonnell is not designing or constructing lunar landers, we have built the propulsion, processing, testing, technology, research and manufacturing facilities needed to empower Intuitive Machines to focus safely on opening access to the Moon for the progress of humanity."
About the Lunar Production and Operations Facility:
The new 105,572-square-foot headquarters will serve as the operations center for the company's lunar program, including the capability to manufacture multiple lunar landers and spacecraft simultaneously.
Intuitive Machines is one of three anchor tenants at the Houston Spaceport, and its project broke ground in 2021. Incorporated into the design are advanced manufacturing and production spaces, 3D printing areas, machine shops, research and development laboratories, clean rooms, and large-scale spacecraft assembly areas.
Unique to the facility are mission control rooms to track and manage lunar missions, and a propulsion test facility to assess lunar lander engine capabilities. The headquarters also includes offices, meeting areas, conference rooms and other amenities for both Intuitive Machines and its partners.
The "flame range" facility is a unique structure, consisting of a 3,800-square-foot reinforced concrete chamber surrounded by a 25-foot-high perimeter wall that encloses an additional 6,500-square-foot yard and delivers multiple advantages for Intuitive Machines testing protocols. To be considered safe and ready for use, propulsion systems must meet stringent performance requirements, verified by a multitude of testing protocols.
The proximity of the testing facility to Intuitive Machines' manufacturing operations offers multiple benefits, beginning with significant savings in testing setup costs and streamlined logistics. Locating the testing facility next to the headquarters also allows Intuitive Machines to make adjustments quickly, utilizing all its manufacturing capabilities. With the ability to produce on-demand engine prototypes and parts, engineers can now conduct tests on even small, incremental changes in engine design.
About Intuitive Machines
Intuitive Machines is a diversified space company focused on space exploration. Intuitive Machines supplies space products and services to support sustained robotic and human exploration to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Intuitive Machines' products and services are offered through its four 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. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "may," "might," "plan," "possible," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "strive," "would," 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 and plans relating to our first mission to the Moon, including the expected timing of launch for our first mission. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company's 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 factors detailed under the section titled Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, 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 Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements in this press release, which are accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and the Investors section of our website at www.investors.intuitivemachines.com.
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.
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