Intuitive Machines Strikes Gold with Columbia Sportswear Partnership

Collaboration kicks off ahead of upcoming Moon launch

Houston, Texas – December 9, 2021 – Columbia Sportswear’s new Omni-Heat Infinity reflective technology will be incorporated into Intuitive Machines’ upcoming mission to the Moon. Selected by NASA to build and launch their Nova-C lunar lander, Intuitive Machines’ mission will mark the United States’ first return to the lunar surface in 50 years.

In laboratory simulations leading up to this 2022 launch, Intuitive Machines’ researchers have determined that the gold metallic foil of Columbia’s Omni-Heat Infinity will provide benefits toward insulating their lunar lander against the extreme temperatures on the Moon. In this first-of-its-kind sponsorship, Intuitive Machines is proud to partner with Columbia and its shared commitment to innovation, technology, and exploration.

“Creating and defining the lunar economy requires making the Moon available for everyone,” said Steve Altemus, president and CEO of Intuitive Machines. “Columbia embodies the spirit of exploration, and we are proud to have their support for America’s return to the Moon.”

“Inspired by the reflective technology used by NASA, our Omni-Heat Infinity technology has been tested in many challenging environments on Earth, but the Moon represents a first for us,” said Joe Boyle, Columbia brand president. “We’re looking forward to collaborating with Intuitive Machines on their upcoming mission as we continue to push our technology to new heights.”

Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lunar lander will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in the first quarter of 2022. Powered by its built-in-house 3D printed liquid oxygen and methane engine, Nova-C will deliver 130 kg of NASA and commercial payloads to the Moon. Made-in-house guidance navigation and control will guide Nova to the lunar surface by utilizing the world’s first commercially available lunar distance communication network created by Intuitive Machines. Three teams of 12 mission controllers will command and control Nova-C 24/7 during the 21-day mission from Nova Control, becoming the first Houston-commanded lunar landing since Apollo 17 in 1972.

###

About Intuitive Machines

Intuitive Machines' complete lunar program unlocks the lunar economy to explore the solar system further and gain knowledge for the progress of humanity. As the premier provider of space services and technologies, Intuitive Machines is reestablishing the United States' dominance on the ultimate high ground, the Moon. Designed by the greatest minds in spaceflight, IM's lunar program will send the first American spacecraft to the surface of the Moon since the Apollo program and send the first spacecraft ever to reach the lunar south pole.

About Columbia Sportswear:

Columbia, the flagship brand of Portland, Oregon-based Columbia Sportswear Company, has been creating innovative apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment for outdoor enthusiasts since 1938. Columbia has become a leading global brand by channeling the company’s passion for the outdoors and innovative spirit into technologies and performance products that keep people warm, dry, cool and protected year-round. To learn more, please visit the company's website at www.columbia.com.

More Than Brick and Mortar

Remarks From Intuitive Machines' President and CEO, Steve Altemus

Welcome and thank you. Councilmember Alcorn, Houston Airport Systems, Burns & McDonnell, Griffin Partners, BAHEP, the state of Texas, and the determined people who embody what it means to be Space City.

Back in 2012, I had this idea for a think tank company. I remember I was in DC interviewing for an advanced nuclear reactor company with Dr. Kam Ghaffarian. We were at a local restaurant having dinner when he pointedly asked me, "what are you passionate about, Steve?" I started scribbling on a napkin and said, what do you think about this idea to take human spaceflight engineering methodologies and apply them in an entrepreneurial way to solve intractable problems around the world? Kam said, "it would be a shame for the music in your head not to be played, let's do this!" That was my idea for a company, which was the start of Intuitive Machines as a partnership and company.

The following year, the core of us stepped out of the gates of Johnson Space Center and said, "let's build our company right here in Houston." It was always Houston.

In the early years, we developed and manufactured medical devices, long-range autonomous drones, and drilling simulators for oil and gas.

I remember the day it all changed. Our Co-founder, Dr. Tim Crain, and I were on a flight back from Delaware after winning a significant contract dispute when we found out NASA was recommitting itself to returning to the Moon. I will never forget looking at Tim and saying, "the Moon is back in play, baby!"

Since that flight touched down in Space City in 2018, Intuitive Machines has been laser-focused on reestablishing the United States' foothold on the ultimate high ground, the Moon.

NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, or CLPS, has been a catalyst for Intuitive Machines becoming the first commercial company to land on the Moon. Completing our robotic missions to the Moon lays the foundation for Artemis, which will take our next step as a species on the Moon. We take that responsibility seriously at Intuitive Machines. Our focus to deliver payloads for NASA and commercial customers is what brings us here today.

Look around; this is the original spaceport. Intuitive Machines was its first tenant, and this is where we started building a complete lunar program. From our lander engine, 3D printed in this building, to the world's first commercially available deep space communications network, and command center, Nova Control. We are at the forefront of returning to the Moon in a sustainable way that unlocks the lunar economy the same way we commercialized low-Earth orbit.

Right now, we are eight months away from launching our first mission to the Moon. We're eighteen months from our second mission, which will make Intuitive Machines the first to ever land on the Moon's South Pole. While there, we'll become the first to drill for water ice, explore uncharted lunar craters, and use 4G LTE to communicate on the Moon. The demand for achieving these remarkable feats has stretched the limits of our current building. In fact, we have overgrown. So, thank you, Sallie Kay, and the San Jac Edge Center, for providing a pipeline of trained aerospace technicians and for letting us borrow some of your space.

From a napkin in 2012 to moving into this spaceport in 2018, and our new home starting today, we grew up as a company alongside spaceport Houston, and we continue to grow as spaceport Houston grows. We chose to partner with the city, Houston Airports, and San Jacinto College because this is our home. A place surrounded by family, friends, and people of true grit. Whether it's a flood, pandemic, or landing on the Moon, Space City doesn't back down from a challenge. This new building is Intuitive Machines accepting one of humanity's greatest challenges. Thank you.

-Steve Altemus

President & CEO

Intuitive Machines Appoints Chief Technology Officer

Intuitive Machines (IM), a premiere provider and supplier of space products and services, has announced the appointment of Dr. Tim Crain as chief technology officer (CTO). Dr. Crain has served as the company’s vice president of research and development since co-founding IM in 2013 with Mr. Steve Altemus and Dr. Kam Ghaffarian. The transition to CTO comes after rapid growing demand for IM’s Lunar Payload and Data Services (LPDS) program.

“I’ve been training for the design and successful operation of spacecraft for precision planetary landing my entire career,” said Dr. Crain. “The opportunity to be in charge of developing the technologies we need to repeatably and reliably land on the Moon as a commercial company is something I never imagined in my wildest dreams.”

"It is not often in life that you come across a technical mind that is as acute and flexible as Dr. Tim Crain's,” said Steve Altemus, IM’s president, and CEO. “His imagination and problem-solving ability make him a discriminator in this industry. We are so pleased to have him as the CTO of Intuitive Machines."

Dr. Crain developed the framework for IM’s approach to Precision Landing and Hazard Avoidance (PLHA) on Nova landers by leveraging practical experience from the NASA Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Task (ALHAT). The newly appointed CTO has implemented the original sensor processing and navigation flight-software for the Nova-C vehicle, which will stick the landing on the Moon twice in the next 20 months. IM-1 will be the first commercial lander to the Moon in the first quarter of 2022 and IM-2 is scheduled to land in late 2022. IM-2 will be the first spacecraft to land on the lunar South Pole, the first to conduct extreme mobility services, and drill for ice on the Moon.

About Intuitive Machines

Intuitive Machines is a premier provider and supplier of space products and services that enable sustained robotic and human exploration to the Moon, Mars and beyond. We drive markets with competitive world-class offerings synonymous with innovation, high quality, and precision. Whether leveraging state-of-the-art engineering tools and practices or integrating research and advanced technologies, our solutions are insightful and have a positive impact on the world.