Nasa has awarded Intuitive Machines a $4.8bn contract to support its future missions in the near space region, which extends from Earth’s surface to beyond the Moon.

The five-year contract with the Houston-based space exploration company forms part of Nasa’s plans to deploy lunar relay capabilities and navigation services for its Artemis programme.

Artemis will send commercial robot landers to the Moon on science scouting missions, place astronauts on the lunar surface and, in the long-term, establish a permanent base to facilitate human missions to Mars.

According to Nasa, the extended coverage offered by lunar relays will play a crucial role in helping it establish a long-term presence on the Moon. Without them, landing opportunities at the Moon’s south pole will be significantly limited because of the lack of direct communication between potential landing sites and ground stations on Earth.

The contract will see Intuitive Machines debut its lunar satellite constellation that will enable...