A company whose entire business model orbits the Moon

Every time I learn about a new space company, my mind is blown even more than the last (shoutout SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and Firefly Aerospace). Because how is it even possible that we are floating around on this “Pale Blue Dot” and can just launch right up to the moon whenever we want (weather pending)?

Well, the answer is between here and the stars (or maybe inside a billion-year-old rock orbiting the Sun somewhere, who knows!)

One company that’s helping answer the unknown and raise important questions is Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ: LUNR)—a space infrastructure and defense company that also happens to be going to the Moon (well, technically they’ve already been twice and plan on going again soon).

They provide space services and technologies, lunar surface access, lunar orbit delivery, and space systems and communications at lunar distance to customers worldwide.

The company is also building a dedicated lunar satellite constellation for communication and navigation, designing autonomous rovers and terrain-hopping vehicles, and developing surface power infrastructure—all in preparation for long-term human presence on the Moon.

Global network of antennas and ground stations providing TT&C, data links, and PNT services for LEO to deep space. Expanded by the 2026 Goonhilly/COMSAT acquisition.

Lunar data-relay satellite constellation (starting with Altus-1 on IM-3). Delivers continuous communications, navigation, and “pay-by-the-minute” connectivity in lunar/cislunar space.

UK deep-space ground station (Cornwall) acquired by Intuitive Machines in Aug 2026. Operates large 30–32 m antennas for lunar/deep-space tracking; previously supported IM-1 & IM-2.

U.S. subsidiary of Goonhilly (acquired Aug 2026). Operates teleports in Connecticut and California with dozens of antennas, expanding North American coverage for satcom, government, defense, and deep-space services.

Builds and delivers proliferated smallsat platforms (IM-300 series) for Space Development Agency Tracking Layer missions (Tranches 1–3) and AMDT3/Golden Dome missile-tracking constellations; supports national-security and commercial spacecraft manufacturing/operations in low Earth orbit.

Manufactures high-power communications satellites (IM-1300 series, heritage from former Maxar/Lanteris buses); recently awarded a multi-hundred-million-dollar contract for three commercial GEO satellites; also supports space domain awareness and related national-security work in geostationary orbit.

Core business: Nova-C (and larger Nova-D) landers under NASA CLPS for surface payload delivery. Completed IM-1 (Odysseus, 2024 – first U.S. soft landing since Apollo) and IM-2 (Athena, 2025 – southernmost landing); upcoming IM-3 (Reiner Gamma + first lunar data-relay satellite), IM-4, IM-5, and IM-6. Also provides lunar communications relays, surface mobility concepts, imagery operations, and Near Space Network Services.

Methalox propulsion and Nebula orbital transfer vehicle designed for high-energy trajectories (including interplanetary destinations such as Mars); Space Data Network and acquired deep-space navigation expertise support missions beyond cislunar space.

Provides NASA-certified deep-space navigation (via KinetX acquisition), precision trajectory/flight dynamics, and end-to-end communications/data services spanning cislunar to extended deep-space regimes; heritage includes guiding spacecraft across the solar system and supporting Artemis-related operations.

Small modular bus for high-volume LEO constellations. Used in SDA Tracking Layer and Golden Dome missile-tracking missions.

Mid-size high-agility bus (WorldView Legion heritage) for LEO/GEO Earth observation, national security, and precision science.

Proven large GEO communications bus (95+ flown since 1989). Supports high-power commercial and government payloads; basis for PPE.

~50 kW solar-electric propulsion module originally for NASA Gateway; now core of SR-1 Freedom nuclear-electric Mars propulsion element.

Flight-proven ~130 kg payload lander with VR900 methalox engine. Flown on IM-1 (2024) and IM-2 (2025); baseline for CLPS missions.

Larger cargo lander (~500 kg capacity) in development; first use planned on IM-5.

Heavy-cargo lander (~1,500–2,500 kg) in development for large lunar infrastructure (power systems, vehicles, habitats).

Nova-C-derived space tug (~2,100 kg payload, ~1,900 m/s ΔV) for transfers to MEO, GEO, lunar, and interplanetary orbits.

• Deutsche Bank - buy, $20

• Cantor Fitzgerald - overweight, $32

• B Riley - buy, $43

• Clear Street LLC - buy, $44

• Roth Capital Partners - buy, $30

• KeyBanc Capital - overweight, $38

• Stifel - buy, $26 (recently upgraded)

• Craig-Hallum - buy, $25

• Canaccord Genuity - buy, $41

• Record quarterly revenue: $206 million (>4× Q2 2025)

• Cash balance: $367 million

• Record backlog: $1.8 billion (+$1.5 billion from year-end 2025)

• Booked $920 million in Q2 awards (+$300 million more in Q3 QTD)

• Signed $600+ million contract for three commercial GEO satellites

• Awarded 6th CLPS lander mission (standardized production lander under NASA Moonbase program)

• National security revenue mix rose from 3% → 30% YoY

• July award for 18 spacecraft supporting AMDT3 / Golden Dome constellation

• Closed Goonhilly Earth Station + COMSAT acquisition (expands space-to-ground network)

• Won two NASA prime lunar reconnaissance contracts (LROC & ShadowCam)

(via Intuitive Machines)

• Two Sigma — +535% (major new conviction).

• Wells Fargo — +329%.

• Renaissance Technologies — +92.5% to 3.72M shares.

• Mirae Asset ETFs — +240%.

• Vanguard Portfolio Management — +336%.

• FMR (Fidelity) — +2,311% (small base but sharp add).

• Victory Capital — +4,068%.

• Tema ETFs — Extremely large percentage increase.

• Advent International Corp/MA — 22.99M shares (~$492M). By far the largest holder (likely tied to the Lanteris/Maxar Space Systems acquisition).

• BlackRock — 12.24M shares (+22%), ~$262M.

• State Street — 9.96M shares (+25%), ~$213M.

• Vanguard entities (various) — Combined multi-million share positions (e.g., Vanguard Capital Mgmt 6.18M, Vanguard Portfolio Mgmt 4.02M).

• Mirae Asset Global Investments — 6.82M shares (~$146M).

• D.E. Shaw — 4.99M shares (–19%), ~$107M + calls.

• Two Sigma Investments — 5.75M shares (+535% massive increase), ~$123M + options.

• ARK Investment Management — 2.70M shares (+1.6%), ~$58M.

• Frontier Capital — 3.17M shares (–10%), ~$68M.

• Van Eck Associates — 3.85M shares (+45%), ~$82M.

LUNR has a 10DMA crossover potential on the daily chart which signifies a bullish move. After the earnings report it bounced near the 10DMA ($15.81) which signified strength on the macro. On Friday 8/14 it closed above the 50DMA for the first time since June 2026. If it can hold the 50DMA moving forward, I’d be looking for a move to $22-30. Price target: $31.

If you can look past the rocky landings from the first two moon missions that fell short of their peers like Firefly’s Blue Ghost—which carried out a flawless two week mission—and consider the broader outlook for space exploration, government contracts, NASA’s ongoing research, and the future of our world being led by some of the most intelligent astrophysicists and scientists on our planet, then I’d say I’m leaning bullish on Intuitive Machines to scale into profitability and am sticking with a $31 price target in the medium term by the end of 2026.

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