Intuitive Machines (LUNR) moved sharply higher as investors circled back to one of the few public companies with a real commercial moon-delivery business. The stock’s move appears tied to a broader burst of lunar enthusiasm after the successful Artemis II launch, which pushed space names higher across the board.
Coverage of the rally said Intuitive Machines was one of the stocks benefiting from renewed attention on companies tied to NASA’s moon program.
A fresh NASA award gave the rally more substance
On March 24, Intuitive Machines said NASA awarded it a $180.4 million CLPS task order for the IM-5 mission. The company said the mission will use its larger Nova-D lander to deliver seven science and technology payloads to the lunar south pole region, making it the company’s fifth CLPS task order and its first mission requiring the larger cargo-class lander.
Intuitive Machines is trying to build a repeatable lunar-delivery and infrastructure business, and IM-5 adds to the case that NASA is still relying on it as one of its commercial moon partners. The company also said the mission will use its lunar landing system, space data network, and autonomous surface operations capabilities, which gives investors a broader platform story than just a single lander contract.
The company is trying to sell a bigger story than one mission
The recent earnings release added another layer to the move. On March 19, Intuitive Machines said 2025 was a “transformational year,” citing its second lunar mission, expansion into national security space programs, and the acquisitions of KinetX Aerospace and Lanteris Space Systems.
Intuitive Machines is no longer trying to look like a single-mission moon stock. It is trying to look like a broader space infrastructure company with exposure to lunar access, data services, orbital work, and national security programs.
The company’s investor materials describe the business across Lunar Access Services, Orbital Services, Lunar Data Services, and Space Products and Infrastructure, which helps explain why a broader lunar theme can move the shares so quickly.
Why the move is getting attention
The rally has a cleaner setup than a random space-stock spike. Artemis II gave the market a reason to care about lunar names again, and Intuitive Machines came into that moment with a fresh NASA award already in hand. That combination is what gives the move more credibility.
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The bigger investor question is whether this becomes a rerating or just another momentum burst in a volatile name. For now, the fundamental argument is straightforward: LUNR moved because lunar enthusiasm returned, and Intuitive Machines already had real contract news in place when that wave hit.
What LUNR’s stock chart says now
LUNR’s technical setup improved sharply on Thursday as the stock broke higher on heavy volume and pushed back into a familiar resistance zone. Yahoo Finance showed the stock opened at $19.32, traded as high as $24.30, fell as low as $19.21, and closed at $23.99, up 18.53% on the day. Volume reached 40.69 million shares, far above its average daily volume of about 11.63 million.
The trend picture also looks constructive. The 20-day EMA sits at $18.96, while the 200-day EMA sits at $14.51, leaving the stock well above both levels. That keeps the short-term and longer-term trend pointed in the same direction and shows the move is coming from a stronger chart base than a typical one-day momentum spike.
The key resistance zone
The most important area overhead sits roughly between $21 and $25. That zone has acted as resistance before, and Thursday’s rally pushed the stock directly back into it.
Under ordinary conditions, that kind of move would raise the odds of sellers showing up again. The difference this time is that the stock has a fresh fundamental catalyst behind it. The recent NASA award and renewed Artemis-related enthusiasm give buyers a stronger reason to test whether LUNR can push through the zone rather than stall out in it.
Where support sits now
The cleaner support area underneath the price sits around $14.50 to $17.50. That band had previously acted as support and resistance, and it now looks like the first broader area buyers may try to defend if momentum cools. The low end of that range also lines up closely with the 200-day EMA, which gives it more technical importance.
The 20-day EMA near $18.96 is the first nearer-term level to watch on any pullback. If LUNR starts to fade after the surge, traders will likely look there first before shifting attention to the broader support band.
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