America is going back to the moon, a little different than it did in the past, which is creating more business for hot new space start-ups.
Tuesday, NASA announced "the selection of three companies to land four new missions on the Moon in late 2028 as part of the agency's Moon Base Program."
Astrobotic, Firefly Aerospace, and Intuitive Machines won the business. The trio will deliver science payloads to the lunar surface, part of NASA's plan to build a permanent American presence on the moon. Human habitation could be a reality by 2032.
"These new awards to our commercial partners, totaling nearly $600 million to land more missions on the Moon with science payloads, demonstrate our commitment to accelerating our effort to build a long-term presence on the lunar surface, and give us more opportunity to develop the skills we need to prosper there," said Lori Glaze, associate administrator for the Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate at NASA, in a news release.
Astrobotic won almost $300 million in new business. Firefly's share was $144 million. Intuitive Machines won $148 million in new contracts.
Astrobotic is being acquired by Voyager Technologies. Voyager shares were up 3.5% in premarket trading at $33.39, while S&P 500 futures were down 0.2%. Coming into Wednesday trading, Voyager stock was up 23% this year.
For context, Voyager is expected to generate $241 million in 2026 sales, according to FactSet.
Space stocks have been strong lately, thanks in part to SpaceX's blockbuster IPO, which valued the company at about $1.8 trillion. SpaceX essentially created the modern space economy by driving down the cost of reaching orbit with its reusable Falcon 9 rockets.
Firefly Aerospace shares were up 3%, at $30.28. Coming into the day, Firefly stock was up 31% this year. Firefly is expected to generate 2026 sales of $441 million.
Intuitive Machines' shares were getting the biggest bump, up almost 7% at $22.84 in premarket trading. Coming into Wednesday, shares were up 32% this year. Intuitive is expected to generate 2026 sales of $932 million.
None of the three companies is profitable yet. For now, investors are pleased with the three amassing new business and growing sales. Profits are expected to come between 2028 and 2030.
Write to Al Root at allen.root@dowjones.com
This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 01, 2026 08:19 ET (12:19 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Comments