Intuitive Machines: A Moonshot and a Missed Landing

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Now, there’s Intuitive Machines, a company that recently managed to deposit a contraption on the moon. A feat, to be sure, though one might ask what earthly good it does when folks still struggle to afford a decent pair of boots. Still, the stock, they tell me, took a bit of a tumble Thursday, dipped nigh on ten percent before righting itself somewhat. A nervous market, you see, is a fickle beast. As of this afternoon, it’s only down a trifle – a mere 1.6 percent. A small price to pay for lunar ambition, perhaps, or a sign that Wall Street is beginning to reckon with reality.

A Reckoning of Accounts

The cause of this momentary distress? Why, the earnings report, naturally. Seems the company lost a good deal of money. Analysts, those oracles of finance, figured they’d lose six cents a share. Intuitive Machines, however, managed to exceed expectations – by losing fifty-nine million dollars! And they reckon they’ll lose another hundred and six million next year. That’s a hefty sum, enough to make a Mississippi gambler blush. On a hundred and eighty million shares outstanding, that amounts to a loss of thirty-three cents a quarter, and fifty-nine cents for the year. Ouch, indeed. A man could lose his shirt on figures like that.

And the cash flow? Negative fifty-six million. Seems money is going out faster than it’s coming in. Revenues slumped eighteen percent this quarter, and eight percent for the year. A downturn, they call it. I call it common sense catching up.

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Dreams of Mars and Empty Pockets

Now, a sensible company, faced with such numbers, might offer a plan to earn some money. But not Intuitive Machines. Oh no. They emphasized the non-numerical – that they’ll land something on the moon again next year (though they conveniently neglected to mention their first attempt ended with the machine listing like a drunken sailor), announced the purchase of another company for eight hundred million dollars, and spoke grandly of establishing communications between the moon, Earth, and, wouldn’t you know it, Mars! A fellow could build a railroad to the stars with that kind of talk.

Best of all, they promised revenues of nine hundred million to a billion dollars in 2026. A bold prediction, exceeding what the analysts expect. They didn’t, however, promise to turn a profit. A curious omission, wouldn’t you say? Wall Street, it seems, desires a modest sixteen cents a share this year. A tall order, considering the current trajectory. It’ll take a giant leap, indeed, for Intuitive Machines to achieve that.

Now, we just have to wait and see if they can manage it. And I reckon a man could make a small fortune betting against it.

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2026-03-19 20:44