Key insights
- Intuitive Machines (LUNR) stock surged due to the anticipated SpaceX IPO, creating a positive 'halo effect' across the space sector. This event is driving capital into space proxies like LUNR, Rocket Lab, and others. The broader US equity market is also supportive, with major indices trading higher, reflecting firm risk appetite ahead of the historic SpaceX debut. Analyst sentiment for LUNR remains constructive, further bolstering its performance.
Investing.com -- Intuitive Machines stock surged +12.3% in mid-day trading as the entire space sector caught a powerful tailwind from the imminent SpaceX IPO, which is set to price at $135 per share tonight and begin trading on Nasdaq on Friday under the ticker SPCX — an event widely described as the largest IPO in market history, targeting a valuation of approximately $1.75 trillion. This historic debut is creating a "halo effect" across the space sector, with traders aggressively positioning ahead of Friday’s launch and driving a wave of incremental capital into listed space proxies. Sympathetic buying pressure is actively lifting names like Rocket Lab, Redwire, and AST SpaceMobile as investors look to capture pieces of the sector’s momentum.
LUNR is trading higher on Thursday as risk appetite stays firm in a green tape and traders look for relative winners after space stocks dropped earlier this week on SpaceX pre-IPO fatigue and a short-squeeze unwind that had pressured the group. From a technical standpoint, LUNR is holding a constructive longer-term structure, trading 18% above its 100-day moving average and 58.3% above its 200-day moving average, with the 50-day SMA remaining above the 200-day SMA — a golden cross that occurred in November 2025. Analyst sentiment remains broadly constructive, with an average 12-month price target of $40.78 and 7 out of 8 analysts recommending a Buy on the stock.
The broader U.S. equity market is providing a supportive backdrop today, with the S&P 500 gaining +0.6%, the Dow Jones advancing +0.9%, and the Nasdaq rising +0.9%, reflecting firm risk appetite as investors position ahead of the SpaceX debut. The space sector had been on a strong run through most of May 2026, with the rally driven by excitement around SpaceX’s planned Nasdaq listing, which could value the company at up to $1.75 trillion. Then things turned — a Blue Origin rocket explosion shook confidence, and investors who were sitting on big gains started taking profits, quickly pushing many space stocks lower.
Today’s sharp recovery in LUNR reflects a confluence of factors: the SpaceX IPO halo reigniting sector enthusiasm, a technical bounce from deeply oversold levels after a 28–30% drawdown from its 52-week high of $46.75, and a solid fundamental story underpinned by a record backlog of $1.1 billion and management guidance of $900 million to $1 billion in full-year 2026 revenue, with expectations of remaining EBITDA positive. Together, these forces have combined to deliver one of LUNR’s strongest single-session gains in recent months.
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