NASA Selects Astrolab and Lunar Outpost for Lunar Rover Contracts
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jun 10 2026
0mins
Source: NASDAQ.COM
- Contract Awards: NASA awarded contracts worth $219 million to Astrolab and $220 million to Lunar Outpost for lunar rovers, unexpectedly excluding Intuitive Machines, which resulted in a 33% sell-off in its stock last week, reflecting market concerns about its future prospects.
- Rover Design Features: Astrolab's CLV-1 lunar vehicle can carry two astronauts or 1.6 metric tons of supplies with a top speed of 6 mph, while Lunar Outpost's Pegasus rover features manual, remote, and autonomous driving modes, reaching speeds of 9 mph, with an expected lifespan of one year and a travel range of 560 miles.
- Future Plans and Timeline: Both companies are set to design, build, and test their rovers over the next 18 months, aiming for readiness by December 2027, when they will be launched to the moon via Blue Origin rockets to participate in the 2028 Artemis IV mission.
- Opportunities for Intuitive Machines: Although Intuitive Machines missed out on the initial contracts, NASA has allocated $4.6 billion for the LTV project, indicating potential future opportunities through on-ramp competitions, suggesting that its role in lunar exploration is not yet over.
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Analyst Views on LUNR
Wall Street analysts forecast LUNR stock price to fall
10 Analyst Rating
8 Buy
1 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 22.720
Low
9.50
Averages
17.74
High
25.00
Current: 22.720
Low
9.50
Averages
17.74
High
25.00
About LUNR
Intuitive Machines, Inc. is a space technology, infrastructure, and services company. It is a provider and supplier of space products and services that enable sustained robotic and human exploration to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Its services include delivery services, data transmission services, and infrastructure as a service. Its delivery services provide transportation and delivery of payloads, such as satellites, scientific instruments and cargo to various destinations in space, in addition to rideshare delivery and lunar surface access. Its data transmission services offerings include the collection, processing, and interpretation of space-based data, utilizing applications, such as command, control, communications, reconnaissance and prospecting. Its infrastructure as a service delivers space assets, performing tasks and making decisions without human intervention that are designed to perform essential functions, such as navigation, scientific data collection, and others.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Planet Labs Profit Milestone: Planet Labs' partnership with Anthropic to convert satellite imagery into actionable intelligence marks its first non-GAAP profitability, signaling a successful pivot towards defense and enterprise AI markets, which are crucial for revenue generation.
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See More
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See More
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- Increased Investment Opportunities: The landmark public listing of a marquee private launch company in 2026 has provided investors with broad access to the orbital economy for the first time, marking a maturation and increased investability of the space sector.
- Diversified Demand: Investor interest is expanding across the entire value chain, including launch services, satellites, broadband constellations, and national security space, reflecting the broad applications and growth potential of the space economy.
- Index Recognition: The inclusion of smaller commercial space companies in major benchmarks like the Russell 3000 signifies the sector's transition from speculative novelty to a recognized market category, attracting more capital inflow.
See More
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- Wave of Listings: In 2026, the marquee private launch company in the commercial space sector made a successful public debut, ranking among the largest in U.S. market history, providing unprecedented access for investors to the orbital economy and marking the industry's maturation.
- Value Chain Expansion: Investor interest now spans the entire value chain, including launch services, satellites, broadband constellations, and national security space, indicating a diversification of market demand and richness of business models.
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