Intuitive Machines Stock Plummets Following Second Horizontal Moon Landing – One America News Network
By Akash Sriram
March 7, 2025 – 7:33 AM PST
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(Reuters) – Shares of Intuitive Machines (LUNR.O) plummeted by 23% on Friday after the company confirmed that its second moon lander, Athena, had landed on its side the previous day, reflecting a similar outcome to its initial lunar landing attempt last year.
The six-legged Athena lander arrived at a location approximately 100 miles (160 km) from the moon’s south pole, but Intuitive Machines announced on Friday that the mission was deemed unsuccessful due to the spacecraft’s orientation following the completion of several mission objectives.
“Given the sun’s position, the alignment of the solar panels, and the extremely low temperatures in the crater, Intuitive Machines does not anticipate that Athena will be able to recharge,” stated the aerospace firm.
If current losses persist, the company’s stock is on track for its largest decline in over a year. Shares of the Houston-based company closed 20% lower on Thursday after experiencing more than a twofold increase over the past 12 months up to the last close.
Athena was equipped with 11 payloads and scientific instruments designed for lunar exploration, including a drill to search for water ice and other resources in the lunar soil, as well as the first data center and cellular network on the moon.
In a separate event, SpaceX’s Starship mega rocket, the largest in the world, exploded just minutes after launch on Thursday, showering debris across the coast of Florida and the Bahamas, marking the second consecutive failure for the Elon Musk-led company.
As part of NASA’s efforts to rejuvenate lunar exploration while lowering costs, Intuitive is among several companies spearheading the United States’ return to the moon through the private sector.
Firefly Aerospace, based in Austin, celebrated a successful soft landing of its Blue Ghost lander over the weekend, achieving the most successful landing by a private company to date.
“This (sideways landing) could affect Intuitive’s credibility, but we still see them as one of the better-positioned companies in the industry,” noted Andres Sheppard, senior analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald.
“At least in our perspective, this does not indicate that the company is in a critical situation.”
Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid and Maju Samuel
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