The company publicly pivoted from a lunar navigation / GPS-constellation concept to low-cost lunar landers.
SourcePublic company, workplace, funding, and market signals
Updated Jul 29, 2026
Instinct is a YC W25 space startup building launcher-agnostic lunar landers that ride standard launches to LEO and then deliver payloads to the Moon. Public sources conflict on headquarters: company/LinkedIn profiles point to San Francisco, while YC and UK filings point to London, so I list San Francisco as HQ and London as an operating base.
Primary product
Rideshare-compatible lunar lander / lunar payload transport service
Founded
2024
Headquarters
San Francisco, California, United States
Team size
1-10
Industry
Space Research and Technology
Sub-industry
Lunar landers and lunar payload transport
Offices
0 jobs at Instinct
Check back later for new openings
Business model
Stage
Seed
Total raised
$1.2M
Latest round
Seed · Apr 2025
Latest amount
$1.2M
Apr 2025 · Y Combinator
Founders
Co-Founder and VP of Engineering
Investors
Small, hands-on, mission-driven builder culture centered on in-house testing and propulsion development for lunar missions.
Compensation
No public salary bands or compensation policy were found on the careers page; open roles are posted without compensation details.
Pricing
Payload transport priced per kilogram; company materials position it as 'Lunar Landers as a Service' and have cited roughly $550,000 per kg for the Moon.
Differentiators
Technology
Customers
Competitors
Estimated revenue
Approx. $440K ARR (public estimate, updated 2025-09-14)
Estimated monthly visits
627
The company publicly pivoted from a lunar navigation / GPS-constellation concept to low-cost lunar landers.
SourceInstinct Space (LinkedIn) · Jul 2026
Company post showing hot-fire footage for the main engine and explaining the Dodo / Dodo-α engine test campaign at Westcott with Astron Systems.
Instinct Space (LinkedIn) · Jul 2026
Company post announcing a partnership with Polimak Space to integrate LunaRig into one of its landers, targeting a 2029 mission.
SpaceMagz · Jun 2026
Summarizes the pivot, 20 kg payload target, ~650 kg wet mass, four-month transit estimate, and 2029 regolith partnership context.
Payload · Jun 2026
Reports Instinct's pivot from lunar navigation to low-cost lunar landers, its rideshare-to-LEO architecture, late-2028 first mission target, and about $1.2M raised while at YC.
Y Combinator · Feb 2025
YC launch post describing the company's original lunar-navigation / GPS-constellation thesis, founders, and initial mission plan.