Tag: Firefly Aerospace
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Firefly Gets $13M to Build NASA Skyfall Mars Aeroshell
Is Firefly Aerospace Building the Heat Shield for NASA’s Mars Helicopter Mission? Yes — and JPL just cut a $13 million check to make it happen. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has awarded Firefly Aerospace a $13 million subcontract to design and manufacture the aeroshell for the Skyfall mission — NASA’s first nuclear-powered interplanetary probe, targeting…
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Firefly Aerospace Acquires Space-ng to Expand Autonomous Spacecraft Capabilities
Firefly Aerospace has acquired AI-powered spacecraft navigation company Space-ng, strengthening its software capabilities for future lunar, orbital and defence missions. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Space-ng will be fully integrated into Firefly, with Space-ng co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Ethan Rublee assuming the newly created role of Chief Engineer of Software, where…
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SpaceX Alumni Have Founded More Than 1,300 Companies, Data Shows
SpaceX’s influence on the space industry extends well beyond its launch vehicles and spacecraft, with new data indicating the company has become a major source of entrepreneurial talent across multiple technology sectors. According to data compiled by Crustdata from publicly available sources and shared with Payload, approximately 1,330 former SpaceX employees have gone on to…
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Rocket Lab Launches U.S. Space Force Mission in Under 17 Hours After Call-Up
Rocket Lab has successfully launched a responsive space mission for the U.S. Space Force, deploying a spacecraft less than 17 hours after receiving a launch order as part of the Victus Haze mission. The mission, conducted under the U.S. Space Force’s Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) program, lifted off aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from…
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Impulse Space Raises $500 Million to Expand In-Space Transportation Business
Impulse Space has raised $500 million in a Series D funding round, bringing the company’s total funding to more than $1 billion since its founding five years ago. The California-based company said the new capital will support hiring, expand vehicle development programs and help meet growing demand for in-space transportation services. Growing Demand for Space…
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NASA outlines nearly $1 billion investment into initial Moon Base missions
An artist’s rendering of a Blue Origin Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar lander deploying Astrolab’s Crewed Lunar Vehicle (CLV-1) on the surface of the Moon. Graphic: Astrolab NASA’s vision for a future, long-term sustained presence on the Moon gained more clarity on Tuesday as the agency announced a series of contract awards for future robotic…
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NASA taps Blue Origin to deliver lunar rovers for Moon Base initiative
An artist’s conception shows Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander lowering an Astrolab rover to the lunar surface. (NASA Illustration) Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture has won NASA’s nod to deliver crew-carrying rovers to the lunar surface as part of the space agency’s decade-long plan to create a base near the moon’s south…
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Potomac Database Systems Targets Lunar Data Market With New Moon Missions
Potomac Database Systems has unveiled plans to develop a series of lunar missions aimed at collecting and selling scientific and operational data from the Moon. The Washington-based company said it intends to focus on supplying commercial and government customers with lunar surface data through three different mission concepts designed to support future exploration and development…
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Firefly Aerospace Posts Record Revenue Amid Analyst Upgrades
How Did Firefly Aerospace Achieve Record Revenue Growth? Firefly Aerospace has reached an annualized revenue run rate of $180 million in Q1 2026, marking a 340% increase from the same period in 2025, driven primarily by accelerated Alpha launch cadence and expanding Blue Ghost lunar payload services. The Cedar Park-based company completed 11 Alpha missions…
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Lockheed Martin Joins Seagate–Firefly Partnership on Sea-Based Launch Platform
Lockheed Martin is supporting a newly announced partnership between Seagate Space and Firefly Aerospace to develop a sea-based launch system centred on an offshore platform for the Alpha rocket. The initiative builds on a memorandum of understanding signed in April between Seagate Space and Firefly Aerospace to deploy Firefly’s Alpha launch vehicle from Seagate’s Gateway…