Space used to be for governments, Bond villains, and billionaires with too much time on their hands (plus conspiracy theorists who can’t let go of their suspicion that the moon landing was faked). Now, it’s actually starting to look like the next frontier for real business (thank you Elon and Bezos). And if you’ve been watching quietly from the sidelines, wondering when all this moon and Mars talk might actually matter to your portfolio… this might be your wake-up call.

Because while the headlines have been all about SpaceX, Blue Origin, and China’s lunar ambitions, there’s a scrappy company quietly elbowing its way into the spotlight… and this week, it finally gave investors something to cheer about.

This week, Intuitive Machines gave their earnings report and actually announced $13.3 million in positive cash flow. And in the space industry… where throwing away cash is practically part of the job description… this was a big surprise.

Now, if Intuitive Machines sounds familiar, that’s because it made headlines last year by successfully landing its Nova-C lander on the Moon… the first U.S. company to do so since the Apollo era.

Now, before you assume this is just another Reddit-fueled meme rocket (pun intended), let’s dig in… because Intuitive Machines might just be in the right place, at the right time, with the right mission. Revenue was down year over year… $62.5 million, about 14% off from last year’s $73.2 million… and slightly missed expectations. Nothing to write home about.

So what’s driving the turnaround? A few things: Well-timed milestone payments (performance bonuses baked into government contracts), Operational efficiency improvements and a strategic switch toward new, high-potential markets like national security space. 

CEO Steve Altemus says the company is leveraging its Moon success to chase new markets… like National Security Space and nonlunar missions.

We’re not in the 1960s anymore. Today’s space race isn’t about planting flags… it’s about building infrastructure, transmitting data, and turning low-orbit into high-margin business (moon bnb’s). The U.S. and China are ramping up moon programs, NASA is outsourcing more to the private sector, and even Texas has a Space Commission now (Intuitive just bagged a $10 million grant from them).

It’s obvious, Intuitive Machines is taking advantage of the opportunity, carving out a niche as a Moon logistics provider… landing payloads, transmitting data, and even developing reentry vehicles and microgravity manufacturing systems. To simplify, it wants to be the FedEx of the Moon… and that’s a bet some investors are starting to take seriously.

If they keep landing NASA contracts, Intuitive Machines has a ways to run, but for now they’re valued as a $1 billion company. That’s pretty high considering their small profit. Especially considering shares are down 87% from their highs in early 2023. 

Stocks.News has positions in Intuitive Machines, FedEx, and Reddit.