NASA’s June Moon Base Update said it will request proposals for additional deliveries to the Moon, including an optical imager for the South Pole, another science demonstration and a power and avionics demonstration. The agency has separately described further CLPS 1.0 and CLPS 2.0 competitions but has not published specifications for the orbiter’s mission order. [4]
The expected timing comes from Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus, who said the orbital surveyor opportunity could arise “a little later this summer, maybe early fall.” Intuitive Machines expects to compete as a prime contractor, supplying the spacecraft bus and imaging hardware while integrating communications, data processing and mapping products, he said. [2]
