Christopher (Chris) Muruyama Steps Up to Operations Manager.
TORRANCE, CA, UNITED STATES, August 26, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Scorpius Space Launch Company (SSLC) today revealed that Chris Maruyama has been elevated to the role of Manager of Operations. His extended service at the firm led to this advancement, driven by his proactive efforts.
His updated duties cover machining composite tooling, Design Jig and Fixture Design, along with process management.
As one of the natural leaders within Scorpius Space Launch, Muruyama guided the crew that constructed propellant tanks for Intuitive Machine’s Nova-C IM-1 and IM-2 Missions—the first commercial mission ever to achieve a successful soft landing on the moon.
Furthermore, Chris Marayuma successfully built, tested, and delivered more than 120 pressure vessels of differing specifications to various clients over a six-year span, while also documenting and standardizing current build procedures.
“I’m not sure where the Scorpius Space Launch Company would be without the steady, massive contributions of Chris Maruyama,” stated SSLC’s CEO Markus Rufer. “He continually, calmly demonstrates that he can handle any task we throw at him. I am very proud to announce this well-deserved promotion. “
Marayuma played a key role in finishing SSLC's liner-less, all-carbon-composite Type V tanks, which have flown on every Intuitive Machines Nova-C lunar lander mission to date, storing and managing the liquid oxygen and liquid methane propellants that fuel the company's clean-burning engines. The tanks first reached the Moon aboard IM-1 in February 2024—the first commercial spacecraft ever to soft-land on the lunar surface—and flew again on IM-2 in March 2025. Both missions validated PRESSURMAXX® tanks at Technology Readiness Level 9 (TRL-9), the highest level achievable, making them the first flight-qualified cryogenic Type V composite tanks to operate beyond the Van Allen belt and land on the Moon.
That flight heritage will extend further with IM-3, targeted to launch at the beginning of 2027.
Scorpius Space Launch Company (SSLC), based in Torrance, California, designs and manufactures all-composite, high-pressure cryogenic tanks and pressure vessels for spaceflight and commercial applications. SSLC's PRESSURMAXX® tanks have flown on every Intuitive Machines lunar lander mission to date, and the company continues to develop advanced composite pressure vessel technology for a new generation of space exploration.
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