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Intuitive Machines’ Stock Drops After Second Sideways Moon Landing

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Intuitive Machines’ stock took a sharp 23% dive on Friday after confirming that its second moon lander, Athena, had landed on its side, much like the company’s first lunar attempt last year. The six-legged Athena lander had touched down approximately 100 miles (160 km) from the moon’s south pole, but the mission was declared a failure due to the spacecraft’s tilted position. The company cited the challenges of the lander’s orientation, the impact of the sun’s direction on the solar panels, and the extremely cold temperatures in the crater, which prevented the craft from recharging.

As a result, Intuitive Machines’ stock experienced its most significant drop in over a year. Shares had already fallen 20% the previous day, but the company had seen a considerable rise in value over the past 12 months prior to this setback.

Athena was carrying 11 scientific payloads, including tools for water ice exploration, lunar soil analysis, and the first data center and cellular network on the moon. Despite the failure, the company remains involved in NASA’s plans to reduce the cost of lunar exploration, with Intuitive Machines among the private companies leading the U.S. return to the moon.

Meanwhile, SpaceX’s Starship rocket also faced a setback, exploding minutes after its launch on Thursday. Despite these challenges, industry analysts believe that Intuitive Machines, though impacted by the recent failure, is still well-positioned to capitalize on the growing space exploration industry.

Andres Sheppard, senior analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald, remarked that while the sideways landing might affect the company’s credibility, it doesn’t signal a dire situation for Intuitive Machines. “We still think they are one of the better-positioned companies in the space exploration industry.”

NASA-SpaceX Capsule Switch Poised to Bring Starliner Astronauts Home Days Sooner

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NASA announced on Tuesday that it has swapped out the astronaut capsule initially planned for a routine flight to the International Space Station (ISS), a move that will expedite the return of two astronauts who have been aboard the station for longer than expected. The U.S. space agency decided to use a previously flown SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, Endeavor, for its Crew-10 mission, replacing a new capsule whose production was delayed.

This change will bring the Crew-10 launch forward to March 12, moving up from the original March 25 date. NASA will still need to conduct a flight readiness assessment of the Endeavor capsule, which has already completed three previous missions.

The change in capsule is linked to the return of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been on the ISS since last summer aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which faced technical issues. Their return was contingent on the arrival of the Crew-10 crew to maintain the station’s normal staffing levels.

This shift in the launch schedule comes after a recent intervention by former President Donald Trump, who urged SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to bring Wilmore and Williams back “as soon as possible.” Trump had criticized President Joe Biden’s administration over the astronauts’ extended mission, despite Biden’s lack of involvement. Musk accepted Trump’s request and echoed similar sentiments, though the mission’s delays were largely attributed to Boeing’s engineering challenges.

While NASA’s statement did not specifically mention the intent to accelerate the return of Wilmore and Williams, the capsule swap will indeed bring them back earlier than initially planned. NASA’s Commercial Crew Program head, Steve Stich, acknowledged SpaceX’s flexibility in handling the unexpected changes.

The decision to switch capsules has also affected other planned SpaceX missions, including the Fram2 private astronaut mission and Axiom’s planned Crew Dragon flight for astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary. The shift means that SpaceX will have to adjust its planned capsule allocations, impacting these missions.

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule was developed with around $3 billion in funding from NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which aims to develop private-sector capabilities for spaceflight, reducing costs and increasing competition. In contrast, Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which has struggled with engineering setbacks, is also part of the same program but has faced more significant challenges.