Intuitive Machines, the venture-backed startup that went public last year, will send a moon lander to the lunar south pole in 2027 as part of a $116.9 million contract awarded by NASA on Thursday. This is NASA's tenth award under its Commercial Lunar Payload Services program; of these, four have gone to Intuitive Machines. The company will deliver six NASA payloads to the moon as part of the deal, though there will be additional payload capacity on the lander for commercial customers. The lunar south pole i ...

HOUSTON, Aug. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NASA has awarded Intuitive Machines, Inc. (Nasdaq: LUNR, LUNRW) ("Intuitive Machines") ("Company"), a leading space exploration, infrastructure, and services company, a $116.9 million contract to deliver six science and technology payloads, including one European Space Agency-led drill suite to the Moon's South Pole. This award will leverage Intuitive Machines' lunar delivery, data transmission, and autonomous operation capabilities to explore the region targeted f ...

Investors should pay more attention to this producer of lunar exploration vehicles. Metric 2022 2023 2024 Projected Revenue $102 million $291 million $759 million AST SpaceMobile (ASTS -10.41%) is one of the market's hottest space-related stocks. It soared 445% this year as the bulls cheered its progress toward launching its first low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites for lower-band cellular connections. AST hasn't generated any meaningful revenue yet, but it's expected to finally start making money once it laun ...

Shares of Intuitive Machines, Inc. (LUNR) have gained 26.2% over the past four weeks to close the last trading session at $5.25, but there could still be a solid upside left in the stock if short-term price targets of Wall Street analysts are any indication. Going by the price targets, the mean estimate of $9.20 indicates a potential upside of 75.2%. The mean estimate comprises five short-term price targets with a standard deviation of $1.64. While the lowest estimate of $7 indicates a 33.3% increase from t ...

Core Insights - Space stocks are experiencing significant volatility, with Intuitive Machines seeing a notable increase while Rocket Lab and AST SpaceMobile face declines [1] - The competitive landscape is shifting, particularly for AST SpaceMobile, due to Globalstar's new satellite operations approved by the FCC [2] - Despite recent stock price increases, profitability for these companies is not expected for several years, with projections indicating Intuitive Machines may not be profitable until 2026, and Rocket Lab and AST SpaceMobile until 2027 [8] Group 1: Company Performance - Intuitive Machines' stock surged by 35.6%, while Rocket Lab and AST SpaceMobile saw declines of 6.2% and 12.3%, respectively [1] - Rocket Lab's stock has increased by 40% since August 1, following the delivery of twin spacecraft for a Mars mission [3] - AST SpaceMobile's stock rose by 30% since August 1, after delivering five satellites for a September launch [4] Group 2: Competitive Landscape - Globalstar has been authorized by the FCC to operate 17 new cellphone-to-cellphone satellites, which poses a competitive threat to AST SpaceMobile [2] - AST SpaceMobile's growth prospects may be limited due to this new competition from Globalstar [4] Group 3: Future Prospects - Intuitive Machines plans to launch its IM-2 mission to the moon in late 2024 or early 2025 and may bid for a NASA contract related to the VIPER mission [5] - There is $84 million remaining in the VIPER budget, which is significant compared to Intuitive Machines' Q2 bookings [6] Group 4: Investment Considerations - The companies are characterized as growth stocks with strong sales growth but are primarily valued based on market momentum rather than profitability [7] - Recent trading activity indicates heightened interest in these stocks, with "unusually active" options trading reported [7]

Intuitive Machines remains a speculative space stock -- but it's got potential to rocket. Investors in start-up moon lander stock Intuitive Machines (LUNR 7.32%) had a rather curious experience last week. Reporting earnings early in the week, Intuitive delivered the shocking news that, instead of losing $0.18 per share (as Wall Street expected), it earned a profit of $0.29 per share. Now, you might have expected news like this to elicit a round of applause from Wall Street. It didn't. Or at least, it didn't ...

Digital Vision./DigitalVision via Getty Images All that glitters is not gold. But sometimes, new data, new developments, and new perspectives change your opinion. When I first covered Intuitive Machines, Inc. (NASDAQ:LUNR) in February 2023, I found the company very interesting given its focus on the lunar economy, which, at the time, differentiated it from other public space exploration companies. That said, I thought investors should take a more cautious approach toward LUNR stock, as I felt Mr. Market had ...

Aerospace and defense specialist Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR) – which designs, manufactures and operates space products and services – saw its shares slip on Tuesday. Following a mixed-earnings report for the second quarter, investors weren't feeling the love for LUNR stock. Nevertheless, for contrarian bulls, this rising member of the space economy could potentially offer outsized rewards. Yesterday morning, Intuitive reported a loss per share of 5 cents. This figure significantly mitigated the expecte ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics - Revenue for Q2 2024 was $41.4 million, more than double the same quarter last year ($18 million) [5][12] - Revenue for the first half of 2024 was $114.5 million, exceeding all of 2023 [5] - Operating loss for Q2 2024 was $28.2 million, compared to $13.2 million in Q2 2023, driven by the completion of the IM-1 mission, contract modifications, and increased SG&A costs [14] - Cash balance remained strong at $31.6 million, with $21.5 million paid for launch provider payments and $5 million of debt retired in Q2 [15] - Free cash flow in Q2 was an outflow of $33.5 million, primarily due to launch provider payments [16] - Contracted backlog at the end of Q2 was $213 million, with new awards such as the $29 million for Phase 1 of the LTVS project [17] Business Line Data and Key Metrics - The company has booked nearly $70 million of new backlog in 2024, with significant opportunities still on the horizon [5] - Intuitive Machines has sold out rideshare capacity on its second mission and secured commercial rideshare delivery services for asteroid mining on its third mission [7] - The company completed the system requirements review for its Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services program, validating its wheeled vehicle and heavy cargo class lander designs [8] - Intuitive Machines submitted a letter to NASA expressing interest in commercializing the NASA VIPER rover system, leveraging its heavy cargo class lander capabilities [9] Market Data and Key Metrics - The company is advancing its three pillars of space commercialization: delivery services, data transmission services, and autonomous operations [4] - Intuitive Machines is uniquely positioned to win the Near Space Network Services (NSNS) contract, which is critical for enabling comprehensive data services around the moon [10] - The company is focused on establishing itself as a pioneering space exploration company, with the addition of NSNS positioning it to offer key services for a robust lunar economy [11] Company Strategy and Industry Competition - Intuitive Machines is leveraging government contracts to create and mature commercial services, a model it believes is a winning formula [7] - The company is focused on developing capabilities for delivery services, data transmission services, and autonomous operations, which are essential for future space exploration [6] - Intuitive Machines is competing in the LTV bidding pool as the only prime contractor with demonstrated experience delivering, transmitting data from, and autonomously operating on the lunar surface [8] - The company is responding to China's advancements in lunar exploration by emphasizing the importance of VIPER's science for US space exploration [9] Management Commentary on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management raised the low end of the full-year 2024 revenue guidance from $200 million to $210 million, resulting in a new range of $210 million to $240 million [5][17] - The company is confident in its cash position, with sufficient funds to cover expected operations for the next 12 months [15] - Intuitive Machines is focused on key program awards, including the NSNS and CP-22 contracts, which are expected to drive accelerated growth and solidify its long-term business plan [17][18] Other Important Information - The company has moved into its new Houston Spaceport facility, which allows for the simultaneous construction of multiple spacecraft [7] - Intuitive Machines has designed and manufactured the majority of its flight hardware for its third mission and is preparing for assembly and integration [7] - The company is working on a coalition to commercialize the VIPER rover mission, aiming for a late 2027 timeframe [45][46] Q&A Session Summary Question: Timing and implications of NASA's response to Intuitive Machines' VIPER submission [19] - NASA canceled VIPER due to budget concerns, and Intuitive Machines is proposing a commercial mission to fly VIPER using its Nova-D heavy cargo lander [19][20] - The company is forming a coalition with commercial companies, international partners, and universities to offset costs and improve mission economics [20][21] Question: Milestones for the lunar communications network [22] - Intuitive Machines is aiming to deploy a communication satellite data relay satellite by Mission 3, with key milestones including the NSNS contract awards expected in August and September [22][23] Question: Facilities cost and CapEx [24] - The company has essentially completed its CapEx investment for the new Lunar Production & Operations Center, with no large CapEx requirements expected going forward [24] Question: Delays in NSNS and CP-22 contract awards [26] - The company expects the NSNS and CP-22 contract awards in August and September, respectively, with no significant delays anticipated [26] Question: Investment required for VIPER [27] - Intuitive Machines is still assessing the costs associated with VIPER, but believes the $84 million budget left by NASA is not reflective of commercial costs [27][28] Question: Milestone payments for IM-2 [29] - The company is tracking to a December-January launch window for IM-2, with final milestone payments expected in 2025 [29][30] Question: OMES contract progress and margins [36][37] - The OMES contract is back on schedule and within budget, with high single-digit margins expected for the service contract [37][39] Question: Diversification beyond NASA [42] - Intuitive Machines is pursuing DoD work, including rideshare payloads and a subcontract with another commercial entity, and is executing on the JETSON low-power contract [42][43] Question: Potential move of VIPER to Nova-D mission [45] - The company is in discussions with NASA and aims to launch VIPER commercially by late 2027, pending feedback from NASA [45][46] Question: Timing of NSNS contract award [47] - Intuitive Machines expects the NSNS contract awards in August and September, with no impact anticipated from the election or budget flush [47][49] Question: Commercial demand for LTV [50] - The company sees significant commercial interest in the LTV, with plans to monetize it during the five months it is not operated by NASA [50][51]

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