Intuitive Machines wins $8.2 million AFRL contract extension for nuclear power systems
HOUSTON - Intuitive Machines Inc., a space technology and infrastructure services company in Houston, announced an $8.2 million contract extension from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RV) to develop next-generation nuclear power systems for spacecraft and lunar infrastructure.
The funding aims to accelerate the readiness of compact nuclear power conversion technology that overcomes solar power limitations and enables longer-duration missions on the Moon and in deep space.
The award builds on Intuitive Machines’ earlier $9.5 million under a previous AFRL program to develop compact nuclear power systems for space applications. That effort included the design of a Stirling-based power conversion system, which transforms heat from a radioisotope source into electricity. The company completed a successful Preliminary Design Review in September.
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Solar power remains the most widely used energy source for space missions, but it limits mission duration in extreme environments such as the two-week lunar night, when temperatures drop below minus 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Under these conditions, systems cannot operate without supplemental power sources, such as radioisotope generators or large battery banks.
Intuitive Machines aims to meet the demand for scalable, reliable energy systems by developing Stirling engines that deliver continuous power and heat in smaller, more efficient packages for spacecraft and planetary surface missions.
"This award moves us from design to flight hardware, which is a critical step toward proving that compact nuclear power systems can survive and perform in space," said Tim Crain, Ph.D., co-founder and chief growth officer at Intuitive Machines. "Because Intuitive Machines is vertically integrated across space data, infrastructure, and delivery services, we can rapidly innovate across the entire mission lifecycle and deliver compact, high-performance technologies and scalable solutions required for sustained operations in space."
START me up
The Stirling Technology spAce Research experimenT (START) is a flight demonstration designed to prove Stirling power conversion technology in space. Aboard the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory, the system will be exposed to conditions that degrade conventional power systems more quickly, limiting mission lifespan.
By flying the Stirling technology on the ISS National Lab, Intuitive Machines intends to raise the system’s readiness level from prototype to space-flown status—a critical milestone toward commercial, civil, and national security acceptance. The system is designed to deliver compact, continuous power for stealth spacecraft operations, long-duration Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) beacons, and sustained lunar infrastructure during extended periods of darkness and cold.
Intuitive Machines has also been studying higher-powered nuclear fission-based systems under contract to the Department of Energy, funded by NASA’s Fission Surface Power (FSP) project.
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