Manifest Space: Intuitive Machines CEO on $800 Million Deal and Building a Lunar Communications Network 11/7/25

Closing Bell

CNBC

Business, News

4.8 • 118 Ratings

🗓️ 7 November 2025

⏱️ 17 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Morgan Brennan sits down with Steve Altemus, CEO and co-founder of Intuitive Machine, a company known for lunar landings. But the company just bought Lanteris (formerly part of Maxar )to expand into multi-domain space and establish deep-space communications. Altemus explains how Intuitive Machines plans to own and operate a “Verizon from the Moon,” the next steps in its lunar landing missions, and how the ongoing government shutdown is affecting new space contracts.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Intuitive Machines announced this week it will acquire satellite manufacturer Lanteris Space Systems for $800 million in cash in stock.
0:11.0	Lanteris, formerly known as Maxar Space Systems, is owned by Advent International, and the deal makes the PE firm a significant shareholder of publicly traded intuitive machines.
0:21.6	Intuitive machines may best be known for its commercial landers that it's sent to the moon for NASA,
0:26.6	but CEO Steve Altimus says Lantaris, scalable production of satellites that are highly reliable
0:31.6	will, quote, feed the markets the company's going after.
0:35.6	There's a whole series of layered networks that we plan to put in place in space
0:44.3	from Leo to Mio to Gio to the Moon and out to Mars.
0:50.3	And then use that service for any of the other kind of observation satellites or specialty sensors that we need for space domain awareness or for any of the national security space needs that might arise here in the near future.
1:06.0	So the key to the whole thing about opening up the space economy is about the communications and navigation.
1:14.6	And if you can do that, you can place a spacecraft anywhere and communicate with it, bring the data back to Earth.
1:22.6	And so the opportunities are nearly limitless for us once the network's in place. And Lanterris
1:28.9	helps us with that putting reliable satellites in places that we need to go. Intuitive
1:35.7	machines recently won a $4.8 billion NASA contract to begin building out part of this
1:40.2	commercial network. Like other contractors, the company's also navigating the government
1:44.5	shutdown with the main impact the delay in new awards, since those contracts can't be doled out
1:49.7	until the government reopens. As for the stock, after its own trip to the moon, shares of
1:54.9	lunar have come back to Earth, falling some 22% this week, and giving up post-election
1:59.9	gains to now be slightly down over the past 12 months.
2:03.2	On this episode, Intuitive Machines Steve Altimus on the deal to buy Land Terrace and what it signals about where the space economy is heading.
2:12.0	I'm Morgan Brennan and this is Manifest Space.
2:17.5	Joining me now is Steve Altimus, the CEO of Intuitive Machines,
2:20.5	and Steve, it's always great to speak with you.
	...

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