NASA wants to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon, but right now, astronauts have to be in direct line of sight with Earth to phone home. The space agency is looking to change that with its developing Near Space Network,

Intuitive Machines owns the Moon landing market for America today. But what's that worth in dollars and cents?

According to Intuitive Machines, the award is a Near Space Network (NSN) contract for missions in the near-space region, which extends from the Earth's surface to beyond the Moon. It will also mark the debut of Intuitive Machines' lunar satellite constellation.

The award of a NASA contract worth up to $4.82 billion has cemented Intuitive Machines Inc.’s position as a key partner in the space agency’s ambitious plans for lunar exploration, according to analyst firm Benchmark.

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.

Intuitive Machines said on Tuesday it has bagged a navigation and communication services contract of up to $4.82 billion from NASA for missions in the near space region. Shares of the space exploration company rose 52% to $8.

NASA said the company was the sole awardee for a "lunar relay systems" contract, which has a maximum total value of $4.82 billion over five years.