Cedar Park-based Firefly Aerospace has secured a contract from the U.S. Defense Department to carry out an adaptive mission in orbit utilizing its spacecraft.
The mission is a component of the The Defense Innovation Unit, known as DIU, Sinequone Project , a Defense Department program designed to test the use of commercial launch vehicles and orbital transfer systems for providing affordable, rapid access beyond geostationary orbits. Such orbits, often called xGEO, go further than Earth-centered trajectories that match the planet’s rotational speed.
For this mission, Firefly’s Elytra spacecraft will function as a space maneuvering vehicle, undertaking various operations and accommodating an array of governmental instruments. The operation is scheduled for liftoff as soon as 2027.
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Firefly has demonstrated our capability for swift and consistent launches, landings, and operations in space as we carry out ambitious missions ranging from low Earth orbit to lunar orbits and farther," stated Firefly CEO Jason Kim on Monday in a press release revealing the new contract. "This national security operation will showcase our capacity to undertake flexible tasks in orbit precisely when and where our clients require us to using our highly agile Elytra spacecraft.
Firefly’s multi-mission orbital vehicle called Elytra had its primary engine, referred to as Spectre, successfully tested when Firefly became the inaugural private firm to accomplish this particular feat. fully successful moon landing in early March.
Firefly successfully landed its Blue Ghost Mission 1 The lunar lander touched down on the moon's surface on March 2nd and subsequently operated for one lunar day—approximately 14 Earth days—with support from 10 NASA-supported scientific and technical devices. Among these apparatuses was one particular instrument. was constructed at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.
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As per Kim, Elytra will feature the identical systems utilized in the Blue Ghost landing — such as the reaction control system thrusters that effectively managed Blue Ghost’s touchdown on the lunar surface — for the upcoming Sinequone mission.
Last month, following its successful lunar mission, Firefly received an $8.2 million grant from the Texas Space Commission aimed at funding spacecraft clean rooms, testing facilities, and infrastructure support. The company states that this grant from the Texas Space Commission will help Firefly increase the production of Elytra units more efficiently and reduce costs.