NASA announced that Astrolab and Lunar Outpost have been awarded contracts to build lunar terrain rovers, while Intuitive Machines was not selected.
The announcement triggered a 12% decline in Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR) shares on Tuesday, with trading briefly halted due to volatility before resuming lower.
NASA also named Firefly Aerospace to deliver the first lunar drones and Blue Origin to deliver the first lunar terrain vehicle; Firefly shares surged up to 26% following the news.
The market reaction reflects a setback for Intuitive Machines in the competitive lunar exploration sector and a boost for Firefly Aerospace.
