Shooting for the moon with Steve Altemus of Intuitive Machines

How I Built This · 21 Dec 2023 · 37m

What this episode covers

Steve Altemus, co-founder and CEO of Intuitive Machines, explains how he left NASA in 2013 to build a commercial space company focused on lunar exploration. He details the development of the NovaC-1 lander, the company's business model of selling payload delivery services for roughly $1 million per kilogram, and their partnership with SpaceX using Falcon 9 rockets. Altemus discusses the technical challenges of landing on the moon's rugged terrain, the legal framework of the Artemis Accords, and his strategy of accepting failure as a necessary part of iterating toward reliable lunar infrastructure.

Mentioned

Companies
Intuitive Machines, NASA, SpaceX, Blue Origin, U.S. Bank
Products
NovaC-1, Falcon 9, Hero Bread
Also
Artemis Accords

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