{"title":"Astrolab vs Intuitive Machines: Landers, rovers & surface transport compared","url":"https://www.frontiertechintelligence.com/compare/astrolab-vs-intuitive-machines","comparison":"Intuitive Machines ranks 15 on the Space 100 with a score of 82; Astrolab ranks 71 with 68. Intuitive Machines is ahead on deployment, production, commercials, technology, positioning and firepower. Level on progress and leverage. Astrolab is based in Hawthorne, United States, Intuitive Machines in Houston, United States. Intuitive Machines: Public, founded 2013. Astrolab is named in 45 signals and Intuitive Machines in 38.","companies":[{"name":"Astrolab","url":"https://www.frontiertechintelligence.com/companies/astrolab","city":"Hawthorne","country":"United States","stage":null,"founded":null,"last_round":null,"positioning":"Astrolab is a US lunar-rover company (Hawthorne, founded 2020) whose FLEX rover architecture and FLIP precursor went from startup to Artemis-critical when NASA selected its CLV-1 as one of two crewed Lunar Terrain Vehicles (May 2026, ~$220M; team with Axiom Space and Interlune, delivered by Blue Moon Mk1, deployment target 2028). Its FLIP precursor passed thermal-vac and integrated testing but its launch was delayed. Revenue is estimated at 10-100m class (the CLV award recognized over performance).","assessed_in":{"domain":"Space","list":"Space 100","rank":71,"score":68,"tier":"member","scores":{"gate_ne":["firepower"],"leverage":6,"position":6,"progress":10,"firepower":8,"commercial":6,"deployment":8,"production":4,"technology":6},"why":"Astrolab develops lunar rovers, including FLEX and FLIP, for cargo, payload delivery and crew support on the Moon, including for NASA's Lunar Terrain Vehicle missions.","segment":"Landers, rovers & surface transport","layer":"Planetary economy"},"signals_total":45,"facts_total":47},{"name":"Intuitive Machines","url":"https://www.frontiertechintelligence.com/companies/intuitive-machines","city":"Houston","country":"United States","stage":"Public","founded":2013,"last_round":null,"positioning":"Intuitive Machines is a US lunar-services company (Nasdaq) whose IM-1 was the first commercial lunar landing (February 2024), with IM-3 through IM-6 in the pipeline, posting record Q2-26 revenue of $206.2M (>4x YoY) and FY26 guidance of $900M-1B (adjusted-EBITDA positive but still GAAP loss-making). Its backlog jumped to $1.8B (8.5x in six months) largely through four acquisitions, and it received an ATP on a $600M+ multi-satellite communications program, though much of its headline growth is acquired (the Lanteris deal) rather than organic. It is acquiring Maxar (pending), which would transform it from lunar services into a bus manufacturer and orbital-data-center player.","assessed_in":{"domain":"Space","list":"Space 100","rank":15,"score":82,"tier":"member","scores":{"leverage":6,"position":8,"progress":10,"firepower":9,"commercial":10,"deployment":9,"production":6,"technology":8},"why":"Intuitive Machines builds and operates lunar landers that deliver NASA and commercial payloads to the Moon's surface.","segment":"Landers, rovers & surface transport","layer":"Planetary economy"},"signals_total":38,"facts_total":195}],"note":"Assessment by Frontier Tech Intelligence; facts and signals carry their sources."}