Intuitive Machines Chooses Tempo Automation to Return the U.S. to the Moon’s Surface

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Tempo Automation, the world's leading software-accelerated electronics manufacturer, announced that Intuitive Machines, a premier provider and supplier of space products and services, has chosen Tempo Automation to speed up the rate of innovation of its flight- and space-rated circuit boards. Specifically, circuit boards built at Tempo will be integrated into Intuitive Machines’ moon lander engine for a mission planned for Q1 2022.

In 2019, NASA awarded Intuitive Machines the first mission task order under the space program’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative to deliver five NASA payloads to the surface of the Moon. The company will launch its lander, Nova-C, into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, and Nova-C will utilize space-rated circuit boards manufactured at Tempo Automation’s software-accelerated factory.

The mission, IM-1, is scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2022 from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

"It's a truly groundbreaking moment because we are returning the United States back to the surface of the moon for the first time in 50 years," said Steve Altemus, president and CEO of Intuitive Machines. "Working with Tempo allows us to prototype rapidly and move to flight finalization with true confidence."

A Pedigree of Space-Rated Innovation

Designing products for space travel is relatively straightforward, but the extreme challenge is making the products manufacturable and built for travel to space. Tempo Automation's industry-leading manufacturing platform supports this specific market need, leveraging an iterative hardware development process capable of creating complex electronics that can survive the extreme conditions of space travel. The company is no stranger to space landings — its technology is currently being utilized by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. 

"We're extremely proud that our customers, like Intuitive Machines, build amazing things at Tempo that have never been manufactured before," said Joy Weiss, president and CEO of Tempo Automation. "Our pioneering manufacturing platform’s support for ultra-agile development of complex hardware is a real enabler when it comes to space travel, and we're looking forward to continuing to enable innovation for partners like Intuitive Machines."