To establish a permanent base on the Moon and explore its surface, NASA needs a 21st century communications infrastructure. It chose a small Houston, Texas-based commercial space company to do the job.

NASA awarded Intuitive Machines a long-term contract potentially worth $4.82 billion to develop, launch, and operate a five-satellite communications and navigation network around the moon.

Intuitive Machines has won a NASA contract worth up to $4.8 billion to provide communications and navigation services at the moon to support Artemis.

Shares of Intuitive Machines blasted off nearly 60% Wednesday, a day after the space travel support firm received a NASA contract worth up to $4.82 billion.

Intuitive Machines is “the leading beneficiary of NASA’s lunar commercialization efforts,” says B. Riley Securities analyst Mike Crawford.

Intuitive Machines, Inc. (NASDAQ: LUNR) is a space exploration company at the forefront of lunar exploration. Intuitive Machines’ stock price is soaring to new heights following the recent award of a NASA contract for communication and navigation services for missions in the near-space region.