Moon Mark and Intuitive Machines Partner to Launch
First Ever Race on the Moon
HOUSTON, TX, Feb 14, 2020 – Moon Mark, a multi-media entertainment and education content company, has announced a partnership with Houston-based Intuitive Machines, who’s on track to become the first private aerospace company to land on the Moon. The companies will team up to launch the first-ever high school competition to race vehicles on the surface of the Moon. Mission 1 is slated for 2021.
“We are thrilled to partner with Intuitive Machines in our mission to reach and engage global audiences with the stories of young explorers living their dreams to be the first to race on the Moon,” said Moon Mark Founder and CEO, Mary L. Hagy. “Intuitive Machines’ depth of technical successes in aerospace, autonomous systems and human space flight, and its leadership’s talent in space commercialization, ensures our competitors will realize those dreams.”
“Intuitive Machines is excited to partner with Moon Mark in our aligned missions to bring young people into aerospace and associated disciplines,” said Steve Altemus, Co-Founder and CEO of Intuitive Machines, and former Engineering Director & Deputy Center Director at Johnson Space Center. “Space commercialization offers coming generations opportunities as never before. Moon Mark’s proven ability to reach and engage millions of people with the highest quality content and unique stories, makes our partnership a great fit.”
In May 2019, NASA awarded Intuitive Machines the first mission task order to launch its Nova-C lander, carrying several scientific payloads to the Moon in 2021. The NASA payload delivery service is part of the first NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program mission to the Moon. These deliveries and subsequent experiments will help NASA, and commercial partners such as Moon Mark, gather important data and demonstrate critical technologies needed for future human exploration.
Moon Mark’s Mission 1 competition will include six diverse teams of high school students selected from across the United States, who will compete in a series of qualifying challenges that include unique demands, such as drone and autonomous vehicle racing, e-gaming, and a space commercialization entrepreneurship contest. The two top teams from the qualifying rounds will win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build and race two vehicles on the Moon.
The vehicles will be loaded onto Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C Lunar Lander, launched from Earth on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, and land in 2021. Competitors will then race their rovers remotely, navigating through harsh terrain, racing around a sphere of cameras, which will capture every aspect.
“Together Moon Mark and Intuitive Machines will create a global multi-media campaign that will feature authentic stories of each team on this journey, create traditional and non-traditional educational experiences, providing accessible content for students, teachers and the public and will brand STEAM education as a fun and inspirational choice for youth across the globe,” said Hagy. There will also be various opportunities for custom sponsorships, brand integrations and licensing for associated products.
About Moon Mark Founded in 2018 to launch its first mission in 2021, Moon Mark creates and captures the adventures of young explorers who compete to make history by designing, building and racing vehicles on the Moon. The program will challenge the competitors and engage global audiences while communicating authentic and inspiring stories on this journey. Moon Mark’s team includes professionals with deep successes in experience creation, content production and distribution, and demonstrated return on investment for sponsors and partners.
About Intuitive Machines Founded in 2013, Intuitive Machines serves government organizations such as NASA and the Department of Defense, as well as industry leaders such as Boeing and SpaceX, to provide robust, available, reliable and safe autonomous system solutions. The company was formed by leaders with practical experience in large complex space systems development. The people of Intuitive Machines blend deep technical knowledge with practices honed over 40 years of human spaceflight; practices in risk-based decision-making, redundancy management, fault tolerance and isolation, safety, reliability, maintainability, verification testing, and operations.
Media Contact:
Krissy McNeil
krissy@emmesolutions.com
323-365-7463
