Intuitive Machines Holds Key NASA Review Ahead of 2025 LTV Award

After a year of building hardware, focused engineering, testing, and human-centered design, the Intuitive Machines-led Moon RACER team has successfully held the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for its Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services (LTVS) feasibility contract. This milestone is intended to assess whether the Moon RACER's system-level design meets NASA's requirements for supporting astronauts on the Moon's surface as part of the Artemis campaign.

The PDR process marked the culmination of a year-long effort to turn concepts into a credible and integrated vehicle design. Over the course of a week, Intuitive Machines and its global partners worked side-by-side with NASA  during PDR to validate Moon RACER’s subsystems—from chassis, tires, and motors to thermal management, autonomy and astronaut interfaces—ensuring the vehicle is robust enough to survive the Moon’s harsh environment and reliable enough to serve NASA and commercial customers for a decade.

“We’ve built Moon RACER with one clear vision: deliver a lunar terrain vehicle solution that can perform during Artemis missions and when astronauts aren’t on the surface,” said Gary Spexarth, Intuitive Machines’ Lunar Terrain Vehicle Lead. “This review was an integrated approach, united astronaut experience, field testing, robotics, and autonomy to validate one complete service offering.”

Engineering a Rover for the Next Era of Exploration

Moon RACER—short for Reusable Autonomous Crewed Exploration Rover—is a solar powered lunar terrain vehicle designed to carry two astronauts and nearly 1,800 kg (3,968 lbs) of total payload, including a towed trailer for science equipment or infrastructure materials.

Built with insights from Apollo legends Charlie Duke and Harrison Schmitt, as well as Shuttle and International Space Station astronauts, Moon RACER incorporates modern enhancements designed for mobility at the Moon’s South Pole.

Transforming Feedback into Function

Since NASA awarded Intuitive Machines the LTVS Feasibility Assessment contract in April 2024, the Moon RACER team has conducted field tests, building two full-scale terrestrial mock-ups, completed two rounds of Crew Assessment Testing and Safety (CATS), and conducted NASA-led Human-In-The-Loop (HITL) evaluations. These milestones helped shape Moon RACER’s PDR submission. Key design refinements include:

• Refined crew compartment entry and incapacitated crew rescue

• Human-centered interior for full anthropometric range

• Streamlined science stowage for suited operations

• Revised payload and logistics system access

Proven Autonomy and Simulation-Driven Design

Moon RACER is designed for more than crewed exploration. In April 2025, the team demonstrated its autonomous driving capabilities of the terrestrial moving mock-up at NASA Johnson Space Center using scanning LiDAR and terrain-navigation software developed by teammate, CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency.

The vehicle navigated complicated terrain without a driver, validating its potential to perform tasks like scouting, surveying, and logistics during uncrewed periods between Artemis missions.

To compliment this, Intuitive Machines now operates a 6-degree-of-freedom simulator at its Houston facility. Developed with partner, AVL, the simulator mimics lunar gravity and terrain in real-time, using a virtual model built from actual subsystems—enabling astronauts and engineers to test performance and operations during vehicle development.

“The team has effectively closed the loop between design, test, and astronaut feedback,” said Intuitive Machines LTV Lead Brett Fischer. “We believe this early capability will assist in LTV readiness, minimizing risk, and costly prototype development.”

Integrated Lunar Architecture

Moon RACER is designed to be delivered to the Moon’s surface aboard Nova-D, Intuitive Machines’ cargo-class lunar lander. Direct-to-Earth and lunar relay communications are expected to be supported though Intutive  Machines’ commercial data transmission network, including the lunar data relay constellation which are part of NASA’s Near Space Network Services contract.

If selected for NASA’s LTV delivery and demonstration phase,  Moon RACER would operate on the lunar surface for 10 years, supporting exploration, commercial science, and infrastructure development across multiple Artemis missions.

Looking Ahead: Toward the Next NASA Award

Intuitive Machines is one of three companies competitively selected for NASA’s LTVS feasibility assessment contract. NASA has indicated it plans to award the next phase, the delivery and demonstration mission, by the end of 2025.

“We believe the Moon RACER team is entering that decision point with growing momentum, demonstrated performance, and a validated design that reflects our technical strength and genuine partnership with NASA,” said Intuitive Machines CTO Tim Crain Ph.D. “We’re not guessing what astronauts need, we’re building it with them. Preliminary Design Review isn’t the end; it’s the start of our next push toward mobility on the Moon.”