Intuitive Machines Welcomes Carlos Westhelle as Entry Descent and Landing Program Manager

Intuitive Machines is pleased to welcome Carlos Westhelle as the Entry Descent and Landing Program Manager  including responsibility over Zephyr, an Earth reentry vehicle and orbital fabrication lab designed to enable microgravity biomanufacturing and is intended to serve as a critical risk-reduction platform for the Company’s future lunar sample return missions.  

With a distinguished career at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Carlos brings decades of aerospace leadership and deep technical expertise to this critical role. Carlos most recently served as Division Chief of the Aeroscience and Flight Mechanics Division, overseeing mission-critical domains such as orbital mechanics, flight control, GN&C systems, entry, descent, and landing. Throughout his 20+ year tenure at NASA, he held several senior leadership roles including Chief Technologist and Chief of the Exploration Technology Office, where he led advanced technology projects and strategies to support Artemis and future Mars missions. Beyond NASA, Carlos has actively contributed to the broader innovation ecosystem, serving on the Space Center Houston Board of Directors (2020–present), participating in Houston Exponential’s Internet of Things Subcommittee (2019–2020), and sitting on the Board of Directors for the Brazil-Texas Chamber of Commerce (BRATECC) from 2022 to 2023. 

As Program Manager, Carlos will guide Zephyr through its next phase of development, helping scale the program to meet growing demand for in-space manufacturing and reliable Earth reentry. Backed by a Texas Space Commission SEARF award, Zephyr anchors Intuitive Machines’ Earth Reentry Program and is being developed in close collaboration with partners including Space Forge, Rhodium Scientific, and San Jacinto College. These partnerships help inform vehicle design and operations through real-world applications—from microgravity-based semiconductor manufacturing and pharmaceutical development to workforce training for post-reentry payload handling. Zephyr is designed to safely return high-value payloads from low Earth orbit, the Moon, or beyond, and also serves as a risk-reduction platform for future lunar sample return missions. 

Please join us in welcoming Carlos Westhelle as he leads the EDL program. His experience strengthens our ability to deliver the infrastructure, leadership, and technical excellence needed to scale Zephyr and support the growing demands of modern space missions.