Instinct

What Instinct does

Instinct Space Inc. (DBA Instinct) is a London-headquartered, privately held aerospace company founded in 2024. The firm is developing a rideshare-capable lunar lander designed to deliver small commercial payloads — a minimum of 20kg — to the lunar surface. Mission architecture departs from the industry's dedicated-launch norm: the roughly 650kg fully fueled vehicle (described as slightly larger than a standard dishwasher) is built to fly as a standard satellite rideshare to any orbit and then autonomously transit to the Moon over approximately four months, with no staging or in-space refueling required.

The lander is powered by the proprietary DODO engine, an electric pump-fed propulsion system using HTP (hydrogen peroxide) and RP-1 (kerosene) propellants, delivering 500N of thrust at 10 bar chamber pressure with a 311s specific impulse. The electric pump feed replaces traditional pressurization systems, enabling lighter tanks and a feed system the company indicates can be used repeatedly. The full vehicle targets an operational span of one lunar day (14 Earth days) on the surface.

Instinct operates a transaction-based B2B payload-delivery business, pricing services publicly at approximately $550,000 per kilogram for the standard LEO-rideshare profile — roughly 45% below the ~$1M/kg industry average — with alternative higher-orbit profiles offered as a configurable tradeoff. The company sells directly to enterprise and institutional buyers via its website and a destination-selector intake page, targeting research institutions, space agencies, and commercial ISRU developers. To date, one named commercial relationship is publicly disclosed — a partnership with Polimak Space for a regolith access mission targeting a 2029-2030 window — with the first in-house lunar mission scheduled for late 2028. The company is backed by Y Combinator, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), the NVIDIA Inception Program, and other investors, and is led by Co-CEOs Alex Pinel Neparidze and Ashwin Ramjee Iyer alongside CTO Joaquim Dickson.

Name

Instinct

Legal name

Instinct Space Inc.

Website

https://instinct-space.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

London-based Instinct Space, founded in 2024, builds a rideshare-capable ~650kg lunar lander powered by a proprietary electric pump-fed engine to deliver 20kg commercial payloads to the lunar surface at approximately $550,000 per kg, serving research institutions, space agencies, and ISRU developers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lunar Lander Systems / Lunar Payload Delivery

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts Manufacturing (336415)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)

akta.pro primary industry

Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial) (IMABACAB)

Keywords

• Lunar lander systems
• Lunar payload delivery
• Space transportation services
• Rideshare launch services
• Electric pump propulsion

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Lunar Payload Delivery: One-time transaction-based service delivering customer payloads (minimum 20kg) to the lunar surface via rideshare launch to LEO followed by autonomous transit. Revenue generated per mission based on payload mass and destination. Target pricing of approximately $550,000 per kg for standard LEO-to-lunar-surface missions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Instinct Space designs, manufactures, and operates a rideshare-capable lunar lander (~650 kg) that launches as a standard satellite to LEO and autonomously transits to the Moon, delivering a minimum 20 kg payload to the lunar surface. The service is sold mission-by-mission to enterprise customers (space agencies, research institutions, and commercial space companies) at a target price of approximately $550,000 per kilogram. The vehicle is powered by the company's proprietary DODO electric pump-fed engine using HTP and RP-1 propellants.

Product overview

Instinct is building a rideshare-capable lunar lander system comprising the core Lunar Lander vehicle (~650kg, dishwasher-sized) and the proprietary DODO Engine propulsion system. The lander launches as a standard satellite rideshare to LEO, then autonomously cruises to the Moon over approximately 4 months using ballistic lunar transfer. It delivers 20kg of commercial payload to the lunar surface at ~$550,000/kg, with operational lifespan spanning one lunar day (14 Earth days). The LunaRig platform from partnership with Polimak Space integrates as a payload option for regolith handling missions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lunar Lander A ~650 kg rideshare-capable lunar lander (slightly larger than a standard dishwasher) that launches as a satellite rideshare to LEO and autonomously transits to the lunar surface. Delivers a minimum 20 kg commercial payload to the lunar surface over a ~4 month transit at a target price of ~$550,000/kg, and is operational across a full lunar day (14 Earth days).
• DODO Engine Proprietary high-performance electric pump-fed propulsion system using HTP (hydrogen peroxide) and RP-1 (kerosene) propellants, producing 500 N of thrust at 10 bar chamber pressure with a 311 s specific impulse. The electric pump feed eliminates heavy pressurization systems and supports repeated use.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces lunar access cost from ~$1M/kg to ~$550,000/kg (45% reduction)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Polimak SpacecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Strategic partnership to deliver a low-cost lunar mission focused on regolith access. Instinct Space supplies and operates the lunar lander for transit to lunar surface; Polimak Space integrates its LunaRig platform with Modular Drum Conveyor (MDC) technology for continuous regolith excavation and vertical conveying. Mission scheduled for launch window 2029-2030. Polimak Space was founded in 2025 and combines space systems engineering with 50-year industrial heritage from Polimak Industrial.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Lunar Outpost: Early-stage company developing lunar surface mobility and resource prospecting technologies that require low-cost delivery to the Moon — comparable customer base and partial product overlap with Instinct.
• Moon Express: U.S. lunar lander startup (MX-1 family) targeting low-cost lunar payload delivery — directly comparable offering but with limited recent flight activity.
• Orbit Fab: In-space refueling and satellite servicing company — adjacent technology and customer base in the in-space transportation market that Instinct's DODO engine could enter.

Direct peers

• Firefly Aerospace: Operates the Blue Ghost lunar lander (flown on a CLPS mission) and is developing the Elytra orbital transfer vehicle — overlapping lunar payload delivery and in-space transportation capabilities.
• Intuitive Machines: U.S. lunar lander operator with NASA's CLPS contract and commercial payload delivery service via its Nova-C lander — the closest direct competitor to Instinct's rideshare lunar delivery model.
• ispace: Tokyo-listed lunar lander company (HAKUTO-R) targeting commercial payload delivery and lunar resource exploration — same rideshare/cost-reduction narrative, different geography.
• Astrobotic Technology: Pittsburgh-based lunar lander company (Peregrine, Griffin) selling payload delivery to the lunar surface for agencies and commercial customers — directly comparable offering and customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Relativity Space: Launch and space systems company (Terran R, Stoke Space) with a focus on low-cost access to space and 3D-printed hardware — comparable rideshare cost-reduction narrative and customer set.
• Rocket Lab: Public small-launch and space systems company with Photon satellite platform — comparable end-customer base (small-sat operators) and adjacent in-space transportation capabilities.
• SpaceX: Dominant launch provider with Starship and Falcon Heavy rideshare options that set the cost benchmarks for Instinct's rideshare-first model — also a future potential competitor in lunar delivery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Instinct