Firefly Aerospace, which is developing space launch vehicles, on Thursday said it has acquired Spaceflight Inc., a space services company that offers rideshares for satellites on different launch vehicles and a family of flight-proven orbital transfer vehicles that hosts satellites and moves them into orbit.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Firefly, which is based in Texas, said the acquisition strengthens its on-orbit services.
“The combination of Spaceflight’s on-orbit experience with Firefly’s launch vehicles, Blue Ghost landers, and Space Utility Vehicles is an overnight game changer for our customers and investors,” Bill Weber, Firefly’s CEO, said in a statement.
Spaceflight, which is based in Washington, has supported the deployment of more than 460 payloads into space. In addition to manifesting rideshare launch services and in-space orbital transfers, Firefly said the acquisition gives it certified clean room facilities, and expertise in payload sales, licensing and mission management.
Firefly has conducted two test launches of its Alpha small satellite launch vehicle, which will be used by the U.S. Space Force in the upcoming Victus Nox mission to demonstrate the ability to encapsulate, mate, launch and deliver to orbit a satellite to space within 24 hours of receiving the launch notice and orbit requirements. The Alpha rocket will carry a small satellite built by Boeing‘s [BA] Millennium Space Systems subsidiary.
Firefly is also developing a medium launch vehicle in collaboration with
Northrop Grumman [NOC] that it plans to fly in 2025.
In addition to its launch vehicles, Firefly is developing the Blue Ghost lunar lander and the Space Utility Vehicle, a modular, scalable platform for in-space mobility, hosting and servicing. NASA has contracted with Firefly for a Blue Ghost lunar mission in 2024 and the SUV is scheduled for a demonstration mission in 2024 to showcase on-orbit capabilities.
Firefly is a portfolio company of the private equity firm AE Industrial Partners. Firefly now has more than 600 employees.
Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander is scheduled to complete the first of two missions to the Moon next year with NASA as the anchor customer, and Firefly’s Space Utility Vehicle has a mission scheduled early next year to demonstrate the vehicle’s on-orbit capabilities.