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2d ago

Intuitive Machines Wins $8.2 Million AFRL Extension to Advance Space Nuclear Power Toward Flight

The award moves the Stirling converter toward a planned ISS test to validate compact power for operations beyond solar limits.

The contract is intended for the development of nuclear power systems for spacecraft and lunar infrastructure. Credit: Below the Sky/Shutterstock.com.
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Overview

  • The AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate awarded the $8.2 million extension to mature compact nuclear conversion for spacecraft and lunar infrastructure.
  • An earlier $9.5 million phase produced a Stirling-based design that passed Preliminary Design Review in September 2025.
  • The company says the new funding shifts work from design to flight hardware in preparation for an in-orbit power demonstration.
  • A planned START experiment on the ISS National Lab is intended to raise the system’s readiness from prototype to space-flown.
  • Intuitive Machines also studies higher‑power fission systems under DOE and NASA Fission Surface Power work, and its shares rose about 5.5% after-hours to roughly $12 following the announcement.