Intuitive Machines Maryland operations in 2026: space communications near Goddard
Intuitive Machines is known as a Houston company, and the headquarters and spacecraft manufacturing are indeed in Texas. But the company's Maryland presence is growing fast, driven by one thing: space communications. The facility near NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD is where Intuitive Machines is building the infrastructure that will connect the Moon to Earth, and it represents a significant expansion of the company's hiring outside of Texas.
Why Maryland? The NASA Goddard connection
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland is the agency's primary hub for space communications and near-Earth network operations. Goddard manages the Near Space Network (NSN) and the Deep Space Network relay infrastructure. When Intuitive Machines won the NASA Near Space Network Services (NSNS) contract, it made strategic sense to establish operations near the customer.
The NSNS contract is one of the largest in Intuitive Machines' portfolio. It involves building and operating communication relay nodes that will serve NASA missions in cislunar space, low Earth orbit, and eventually on the lunar surface. This is not short-term project work. The contract spans multiple years and supports a long-term workforce in Maryland.
Proximity to Goddard also provides daily working contact with NASA engineers and program managers. For roles that involve technical interface management, being 15 minutes from the customer matters more than being in the same state as headquarters.
What the Maryland team does
Lunar relay communications (Khon-1)
The centerpiece of the Maryland operation is the Khon-1 lunar communications satellite program. Khon-1 is designed to orbit the Moon and provide relay services for surface assets, including Intuitive Machines' own Nova-C landers and future NASA missions. Think of it as the first node in a lunar internet.
Engineers in Maryland are responsible for:
- RF systems design — Link budget analysis, antenna pattern optimization, frequency planning for lunar relay operations
- Network architecture — Designing the protocols and routing logic for cislunar data relay, including store-and-forward capabilities during communications blackouts
- Ground segment development — Building the Earth-side infrastructure that receives and processes data from lunar relay satellites
- Mission operations planning — Developing the operational workflows for managing relay satellites, scheduling communication windows, and handling anomalies
Near Space Network services
Beyond the lunar relay, the Maryland team supports NASA's broader Near Space Network. This includes providing tracking, telemetry, and command services for missions in low Earth orbit and nearby space. The work is operationally intensive: maintaining uptime, managing antenna scheduling, and ensuring data delivery for science missions.
Space communications R&D
Intuitive Machines is investing in next-generation communication technologies, including optical (laser) communications for higher bandwidth data links between the Moon and Earth. Some of this research and prototyping work is based in Maryland, leveraging the proximity to Goddard's own optical communications programs.
NASA's LCRD (Laser Communications Relay Demonstration) at Goddard has proven that optical links can deliver 10-100x higher data rates than traditional RF. Intuitive Machines' investment in this area positions the Maryland team at the leading edge of deep space communications technology.
Jobs available in Maryland
The Maryland office hires primarily in communications engineering and related disciplines. Here are the main role categories:
| Role category | Typical salary range | Key skills |
|---|---|---|
| RF Systems Engineer | $100K–$155K | Link budget analysis, antenna design, spectrum management |
| Communications Systems Engineer | $110K–$170K | Protocol design, network architecture, relay operations |
| Ground Systems Engineer | $95K–$145K | Ground station software, data processing, antenna operations |
| Mission Operations Engineer | $95K–$140K | Ops procedures, anomaly response, scheduling systems |
| Software Engineer (comms) | $105K–$165K | C++, Python, real-time systems, signal processing |
| Systems Engineer | $110K–$175K | Requirements, integration, V&V, interface management |
| Program Manager | $120K–$170K | NASA contract management, schedule tracking, EVM |
Most Maryland roles require US citizenship due to the nature of NASA contracts and ITAR restrictions. Some positions require or prefer an active security clearance.
How Maryland roles differ from Houston roles
The Houston headquarters is where spacecraft get built. The culture there is hardware-centric: test stands, integration bays, clean rooms. Maryland is different. The work is systems-level and operations-focused. You are designing communication architectures, writing operations procedures, and managing data flows rather than bending metal.
This distinction matters for your career path:
- If you want hands-on hardware — Houston is where you want to be. Propulsion testing, spacecraft integration, avionics assembly all happen in Texas.
- If you want communications and network engineering — Maryland is the right fit. The problems here are closer to what you would find at a telecom company, but applied to the Moon.
- If you want systems engineering — Both locations hire systems engineers, but the Maryland systems roles lean toward communications architecture and interface management rather than vehicle-level integration.
Maryland employees are fully integrated into the company. They participate in design reviews, mission readiness meetings, and company-wide events. But the day-to-day environment is more office-based than the factory floor atmosphere of Houston.
The Greenbelt/Goddard area
The facility is in Greenbelt, Maryland, directly adjacent to NASA Goddard. The area is part of the greater Washington, D.C. metro and offers:
- Proximity to other space employers — NASA Goddard, NOAA, USGS satellite operations, and numerous aerospace contractors are within a 20-minute drive. If you ever need to change jobs, you have options without relocating.
- Public transit access — The Green Line Metro reaches Greenbelt station, though a car is more practical for daily commuting to the office.
- Cost of living — Higher than Houston but lower than downtown D.C. Expect to pay $1,500-$2,200/month for a one-bedroom apartment in the Greenbelt/College Park area. This is roughly 20-30% more than the equivalent in Houston's Clear Lake area.
The D.C. metro area has a deep pool of aerospace talent, particularly in communications, space science, and government program management. Intuitive Machines competes for this talent against Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, L3Harris, and dozens of smaller contractors.
D.C. area traffic is notoriously bad. If you are house hunting, prioritize living on the same side of the Beltway as the office. A 15-mile commute from Virginia can take over an hour during rush hour. Living in Greenbelt, College Park, Bowie, or Laurel keeps commute times under 30 minutes.
How to apply for Maryland positions
Intuitive Machines posts all positions, including Maryland roles, on their careers page. When searching, filter by location (Greenbelt, MD or Maryland) to isolate the relevant openings.
You can also find all current Intuitive Machines positions on the Zero G Talent job board by searching for the company. For a broader look at the company, read our overview of Intuitive Machines careers and explore all Intuitive Machines job listings.
If you are interested in space communications but want to compare options, also look at positions at Northrop Grumman (which also has significant Goddard-area presence) and L3Harris in Melbourne, FL.
The Maryland expansion is a signal that Intuitive Machines is growing beyond a single-site lunar lander company into a diversified space infrastructure business. For candidates in the D.C./Maryland area who want to work on cislunar communications without relocating to Texas, this is one of the most interesting opportunities in the region.
