The iconic Parkes radio telescope, owned and operated by Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, will help businesses to literally reach for the moon by providing ground station support for one of the first commercial lunar landings later this year.

CSIRO has signed a new five-year agreement with Houston-based aerospace company Intuitive Machines to support multiple lunar missions, including their first flight under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.

The Parkes telescope, also known as Murriyang, is valuable for spacecraft tracking due to its large dish surface and advanced data acquisition systems, which are used primarily for astronomy research.

The 64-metre telescope will be the largest and most sensitive receiving ground station for Intuitive Machines' upcoming missions, maximising the return of the scientific and engineering data for the lunar exploration program.

CSIRO chief executive Dr Larry Marshall said the partnership was an exciting new chapter for the iconic dish, with the partnership tapping into CSIRO's expertise and proven track record supporting spacecraft programs.

"It was 50 years ago that Australia played a critical role in the original moon mission, but innovation never sleeps, so we're proud to support the latest innovations heading to the Moon's surface," Dr Marshall said.

"Australia is growing a vibrant space industry, underpinned by our unique strengths in agriculture, mining, and materials, and because we know innovation thrives on collaboration, we're supporting the entire international space community."

Can you imagine a time when the moon is considered a travel destination?