Intuitive Machines stock jumped nearly 14% on Wednesday after NASA handed the company a $180.4 million contract to deliver seven science and technology payloads to the Moon’s South Pole. The timing was welcome — the stock had dropped 12% the day before.
Intuitive Machines, Inc., LUNR
Tuesday’s sell-off came after NASA announced it was pausing its Gateway program, a planned lunar-orbiting space station. That spooked investors. Wednesday’s contract award was a reminder that the lunar economy is still very much open for business.
Intuitive Machines $LUNR won a $180.4 million NASA contract for its IM-5 lunar mission, which will deliver seven science and technology payloads to the lunar south pole region.
— Wall St Engine (@wallstengine) March 24, 2026
The new contract falls under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, known as CLPS. Instead of building its own spacecraft, NASA pays commercial providers to handle lunar deliveries. For Intuitive Machines, this is the fifth CLPS task order — a track record that keeps growing.
The mission is no small haul. The payload list includes an Australian Space Agency lunar rover and technology from Blue Origin’s Honeybee Robotics. The lander will need to be a larger, cargo-class vehicle capable of autonomous surface operations.
Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Andres Sheppard called the award “bullish” in a note published Wednesday. He kept his Buy rating and $26 price target on the stock.
Sheppard was clear that he sees more upside ahead. He described himself as a buyer on weakness and pointed to a list of upcoming catalysts that could move the stock.
Those include the SiriusXM 11 satellite delivery expected in the first half of 2026, additional CLPS payload missions, a Lunar Terrain Vehicle contract decision, and potential awards tied to the Golden Dome missile shield program.
About 90% of analysts covering LUNR stock rate it a Buy, according to FactSet. That’s well above the typical 55–60% Buy-rating ratio for S&P 500 stocks. The average analyst price target sits around $24.
NASA’s decision to pause Gateway actually shifts more attention toward lunar surface infrastructure — which is exactly where Intuitive Machines operates. The CLPS program isn’t going anywhere.
The company’s market cap sits at around $3.89 billion, and it has posted year-to-date price gains of roughly 10% heading into this week’s move.
Average daily trading volume runs above 11 million shares, so Wednesday’s move was well supported by activity.
The S&P 500 and Dow were both up about 0.6% on the day, meaning Intuitive Machines outpaced the broader market by a wide margin.
The stock’s technical sentiment is currently flagged as a Buy signal. With the new contract in hand and multiple catalysts on the horizon, analysts aren’t backing away from their targets.
Cantor Fitzgerald’s $26 price target represents roughly 27% upside from Wednesday’s trading price of $20.41.
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