KinetX Aerospace

• Founded in 1992 by a team of aerospace engineers with extensive experience in satellite and ground systems.
• Headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, United States.
• Provides expert systems engineering, spacecraft navigation and flight dynamics, and advanced software and hardware design.
• Supports programs across aerospace, telecommunications, space navigation, and data analytics.

Ownership and relationship to Intuitive Machines

• On October 1, 2025, KinetX Aerospace became a wholly owned subsidiary of Intuitive Machines, a space technology, infrastructure, and services company.
• KinetX continues to provide mission design, navigation, and engineering capabilities within the broader Intuitive Machines organization.

Deep space navigation expertise

• KinetX is the first and only private company to successfully navigate multiple NASA missions to destinations including the Moon, Mercury, Pluto, asteroids, and more.
• KinetX has become the only commercial company certified by NASA for deep space navigation services.

Clients and sectors

KinetX works with:

• NASA and other civil space agencies.
• Commercial space and satellite operators.
• Defense and government organizations.
• Telecommunications and communications system providers.

The company focuses on mission-critical, high-reliability systems, including deep space exploration, satellite constellations, and advanced communication networks.

International presence

• KinetX created a subsidiary, KinetX Aerospace International (KAI), headquartered in Canada.
• KAI supports relationships with Canadian and European entities and helps expand KinetX engagement across North America, Europe, and other global markets.

• Full life-cycle systems engineering for aerospace, defense, and communications systems.
• Experience from initial concept definition through design, integration, test, launch, and on-orbit operations.
• Combines traditional documentation-driven approaches with model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and modeling/simulation methods.
• Significant experience supporting satellite programs, communication systems, and information systems.

Space systems, mission design, and navigation

• Space Navigation and Flight Dynamics (SNAFD) group provides mission design and navigation support for Earth-orbiting, sub-orbital, and deep space missions.
• Supports multiple NASA and international missions.
• Over 700 years of combined flight dynamics experience across the team.
• Expertise includes trajectory design, orbit determination, maneuver planning, and mission analysis.

Hardware engineering

• Design and development of satellite-related ground and space infrastructure, as well as terrestrial communication systems.
• Experience with wireless RF communication systems and embedded computing systems.
• Responsibilities include architecture definition, detailed design, integration, test, and verification at device, unit, frame, and system levels.

Software engineering

• Software Engineering and Development (SED) organization delivers software solutions for commercial and government programs.
• Involvement from concept and requirements through implementation, test, deployment, and maintenance.
• Capabilities span multiple programming languages and technologies.
• Maintains CMMI Level 3/dev quality certification for software development processes.

Communications engineering

• Extensive experience with space, government, and commercial communications systems.
• Expertise in wireless and RF systems and end-to-end communication solutions.
• Capabilities include waveform design, link analysis, capacity analysis, and adaptive communications analysis for satellite and terrestrial systems.
• Experience with TDMA, FDMA, CDMA, OFDM, MIMO, and combined adaptive modulation methods.
• Past work includes capacity and queuing analysis for MUOS, communication architecture support for IRIDIUM NEXT, and deep space communications development (e.g., X-band Deep Space Transponder for the Cassini mission).

International and global support

• KinetX is expanding engagement across North America and worldwide.
• Existing footprint in Canada and relationships with organizations in Europe and Asia.
• KinetX Aerospace International (KAI) provides ready access to KinetX skills for Canadian and international customers.

Quality and certifications

• CMMI Level 3/dev certification for software development.
• ISO9000/AS9100D quality certification for hardware development.

KinetX focuses on mission-critical, high-reliability solutions tailored to the specific requirements of each customer and mission.

Primary business contact

Craig Cigich COO / Business Development Phone (office): (480) 455-4463 Phone (mobile): (602) 315-8502 Email: craig.cigich@kinetx.com

Use this contact for business development, services inquiries, and general questions about KinetX Aerospace offerings.

Careers

For employment opportunities, candidates are directed to the KinetX Aerospace Careers page on the company website.

Hours and availability

• Specific office hours are not published on the website.
• Prospective and current customers should contact KinetX by phone or email to coordinate discussions, meetings, or project inquiries.

KinetX has provided mission design, navigation, flight dynamics, and/or engineering support for missions including:

• Emirates Mars Mission
• Intuitive Machines Lunar Lander
• MESSENGER (Mercury)
• New Horizons (Pluto and the Kuiper Belt)
• OSIRIS-REx (asteroid sample return)
• Lucy (asteroid mission)
• LunaH-Map
• Iridium satellite communication system
• MUOS (Mobile User Objective System)
• SGSS
• BAMS
• RAM LMSU
• NorthStar space situational awareness constellation

Role on missions

Depending on mission needs, KinetX has contributed:

• Mission design and trajectory analysis.
• Navigation and flight dynamics operations.
• Communications and ground system engineering.
• Software and hardware engineering for mission support.

These missions highlight KinetX Aerospace's experience with Earth-orbiting, sub-orbital, and deep space exploration, including planetary, lunar, and asteroid missions.

Ask anyway — the agent will say plainly that it is not published rather than guess.