LUNR Stock Tumbles As NASA Chooses Rivals To Deliver Lunar Vehicles For Moon Base

• Astrolab and Lunar Outpost would build lunar terrain vehicles for the agency’s Artemis missions.
• Blue Origin will deliver the first lunar terrain vehicle.
• Firefly Aerospace (FLY) spacecraft will carry the first drones to the lunar surface.

Intuitive Machines (LUNR) share price tumbled on Tuesday after the space exploration company was bypassed by NASA in the selection process for developing a new lunar rover for the Moon Base under the Artemis mission. 

LUNR stock fell as much as 16% on Tuesday before settling about 11% in the red after it lost to rival aerospace companies to work with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration  (NASA) for the moon base mission. NASA held a press conference on Tuesday to highlight plans for a Moon Base. 

NASA announced that Astrolab and Lunar Outpost would build lunar terrain vehicles, Blue Origin will deliver the first lunar terrain vehicle, and Firefly Aerospace’s (FLY) spacecraft will carry the first drones to the lunar surface. 

While the contract loss dealt a blow to the company's near-term market valuation, Intuitive Machines remains heavily involved in other aspects of lunar infrastructure, including a March 2026 $180.4 million contract from NASA to deliver science and technology payloads to the south polar region of the moon. 

NASA’s Moon Base Strategy 

In a press conference Tuesday at NASA Headquarters in Washington, NASA leadership, including Administrator Jared Isaacman and Moon Base Program Executive Carlos García-Galán, detailed the agency’s long-term blueprint for establishing a permanent human outpost on the lunar surface. 

The agency announced an expansive roadmap consisting of 81 scheduled launch missions designed to transition from initial exploration to an active, permanent settlement. The strategy is split into three separate operational phases, spread across surface access and scouting, a crewed moon base and continuous human settlement. 

NASA officials confirmed the permanent base will be situated at the moon's South Pole, chosen for its vast, shadowed craters believed to hold crucial water-ice resources. This ice is expected to provide drinking water, oxygen, and potentially liquid hydrogen and oxygen to manufacture rocket fuel for deep-space journeys. 

LUNR Retail View 

Retail sentiment was ‘extremely bullish’ with ‘high’ message volumes. Message volumes have surged about 155% over the past week. 

The stock has surged 211% over the past 12 months.

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