Nova-C
Delivery
Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lunar lander combines flight-proven heritage with a scalable design to meet the demands of the emerging lunar economy. As a science and discovery-class lander, Nova-C has demonstrated precision landing, autonomous operations, and payload delivery to the Moon. Its adaptable platform supports a wide range of missions we believe makes it a cornerstone for lunar commercialization.
Overview
Science and Discovery Lander
4.3m
Height
1.6
Diameter
675kg
Mass
130kg
Payload to Moon
VR900
The VR900 is the smallest of Intuitive Machines’ scalable LOx Methane engine family. Developed by Intuitive Machines to support science and discovery on its Nova-C lander, it uses an environmentally friendly mix of liquid oxygen and liquid methane.
Composite Structure
Our entire family of landers share a primary composite structure and close-out panel design. Its 1.57-meter-wide hexagonal shape by 4 meters height is ideal for south pole landing site lighting conditions. At landing, the center of gravity shifts from the center of the structure down to the base of the structure.
Nova-C offers a wide range of mounting locations in height and azimuth for easy payload integration and tailoring of features such as thermal environment and field-of-view.
Composite Linerless Tanks
Nova-C is the first spacecraft to prove the viability of a methalox (liquid oxygen and methane) propulsion system beyond Earth orbit, offering a superior mass-to-propellant ratio for optimized performance. This efficient tank system not only enhances payload capacity but will also be used in future spacecraft to support extended lunar missions and deep-space exploration.
Autonomous Landing Operations
The Intuitive Machines team brings extensive experience from NASA's Morpheus and Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology projects and the efforts of the Precision Landing and Hazard Avoidance community.
