Tesla, Rivian and Lucid Q2 Announcements; Rocket Lab to Acquire Iridium, Material - Cantor's Take, Sheppard's Mobility Update

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Tesla, Rivian and Lucid Q2 Announcements; Rocket Lab to Acquire Iridium, Material - Cantor's Take, Sheppard's Mobility Update

July 6, 2026

Space & eVTOLs

Intuitive Machines Awarded 6th NASA CLPS Mission to the Moon On

6/30, Intuitive Machines (LUNR, OW) announced that it was awarded

its 6th Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contract. This contract,

worth up to $148.3M, will aim to deliver a production-line-qualified

Nova-C lunar lander to the Moon by 2028. The award includes a

$68.6M base contract for mission execution and a $79.7M performance

incentive tied to the demonstration of product-line qualification and

lander production capabilities. The contract supports NASA’s Artemis

program and the expansion of lunar surface operations, while advancing

the company’s strategy to transition from custom-built missions to high-

volume, standardized lunar infrastructure and transportation services. The

mission will also deliver key scientific and operational payloads, including

the SCALPSS stereo camera system, Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA), and

Linear Energy Transfer Spectrometer (LETS) radiation monitor, supporting

lunar surface research, navigation, and environmental monitoring. Recall

that LUNR is targeting its third mission to the moon (IM3), for later this year

(we expect 4Q26).

Satellogic Bolsters Persistent Monitoring Efforts. SATL (OW) announced it

is partnering with AI satellite imagery analytics firm SpaceKnow (private)

to combine its AI and machine learning analytics with Satellogic's existing

satellite constellation and upcoming Merlin constellation (first launch in

October). The partnership advances the market shift away from discrete

imagery transactions toward persistent monitoring across high-value sites.

Joby & Toyota Establish Manufacturing JV.