COMPANY PROFILE / SPACE INDUSTRY
Firefly Aerospace
The small rocket Alpha and the Blue Ghost lander, and the first private company to land on the Moon successfully
Firefly Aerospace is a U.S. listed company in Texas that builds the small rocket Alpha, which carries payloads of about a tonne, the Blue Ghost lander, which sets cargo down on the Moon, and the Elytra vehicle, which manoeuvres in space. On 2 March 2025 Blue Ghost Mission 1 landed on the Moon, which the company describes as "the first fully successful landing by a commercial vehicle". It listed on Nasdaq in August 2025 and in October bought SciTec, a defence software company. Alpha, meanwhile, had an anomaly in its April 2025 launch and, after an FAA-required investigation, returned to flight with its seventh flight on 11 March 2026. This profile sets out what it builds, where it invests, who it works with and what remains unconfirmed, within the company's filings and announcements. This field changes fast, so every vehicle and mission status carries its check date (17 October 2026).
- Firefly Aerospace in 30 seconds, and where it stands in the space industry
- The logo and how the name is written
- Where the company sits in the space industry
- Scale
- Resources committed to space
- What it has done so far
- What comes next
- What the company is aiming for in space
- Map of partnerships in the space industry
- Technology, products and services
- The risks this company carries
- Glossary / References / Claim-to-source audit
1. Firefly Aerospace in 30 seconds, and where it stands in the space industry
Exploration, lunar (primary)It also extends into the Elytra orbital vehicle and defence software. The classification is ours
Firefly began as "a small-rocket company", but most of its revenue now comes from spacecraft (the Blue Ghost lander, the Elytra orbital vehicle and the defence software of the SciTec business it bought). The 10-Q shows that of US$198.6 million revenue in January to June 2026, spacecraft was US$175.9 million and launch US$22.7 million Sourced. Spacecraft is about 89% of the total Our calculation. Its rocket, Alpha, had an anomaly in its April 2025 launch (an FAA-investigated mishap) and could not launch for about ten months, until March 2026 Sourced. When comparing it with other space companies, read the rocket flight record and the lander and spacecraft record separately.
2. The logo and how the name is written
A note on names: the legal entity is Firefly Aerospace Inc., known as Firefly. Other, unrelated companies with similar names (in neuroscience and in robotics, for example) are listed on EDGAR; they are not the subject of this article. Rocket names (Alpha, Eclipse), the lunar lander (Blue Ghost), the orbital vehicle (Elytra) and engine names (Reaver, Lightning, Miranda) are product names, not company names. The company says the name Blue Ghost comes from a species of glowing firefly found in the south-eastern United States.
Official site: https://fireflyspace.com/3. Where the company sits in the space industry
4. Scale
Amounts are in US dollars. 2025 figures come from the 10-K and 2026 figures from the 10-Q Sourced. The company reports revenue in two divisions: Launch, and Spacecraft Solutions (spacecraft and software).
| Measure (US$ millions) | 2024 | 2025 | Jan-Jun 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue (total) | 60.8 | 159.9 | 198.6 |
| of which Spacecraft Solutions | 38.2 | 131.2 | 175.9 |
| of which launch | 22.6 | 28.6 | 22.7 |
| Operating result | (209.5) | (260.7) | (190.9) |
| Net result | (231.1) | (298.3) | (189.0) |
| R&D | 149.5 | 200.1 | 139.0 |
| Capital expenditure (purchases of property and equipment) | 32.7 | 32.8 | 41.1 |
The 10-K and 10-Q attribute the rise in Spacecraft revenue in 2025 mainly to completion of Blue Ghost Mission 1 and data sales, and to the addition of SciTec, bought in October 2025.
Spacecraft was about 82% of 2025 revenue and about 89% in the first half of 2026 Our calculation.
| Measure | Content | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Backlog | US$1,468.1 million (of which US$403.1 million is multi-launch agreements whose missions are not yet scheduled). It was US$1,351.1 million at the end of 2025 | 30 June 2026 |
| Cash on hand | US$635.3 million in cash and short-term investments. Financial debt of US$27.0 million. The US$305 million revolving credit facility was undrawn | 30 June 2026 |
| Employees | 1,409 full-time and nine part-time | 31 December 2025 |
| Main sites | Headquarters and the spacecraft site (Hive), and the Rocket Ranch rocket factory and test site (200 acres, about 200,000 square feet), all within about 25 miles north of Austin, Texas | March 2026 |
5. Resources committed to space
The table below shows whether the four resource points (people, money, outside investments and acquisitions, and contracts with public bodies) could be confirmed in filings and official announcements.
| Type of resource | Content | Type |
|---|---|---|
| People | 1,409 full-time employees on 31 December 2025. Most staff and operations are concentrated within about 25 miles of Austin | Sourced |
| Money: R&D | US$200.1 million in 2025 (up 34%) and US$139.0 million in the first half of 2026, for Alpha, Eclipse and spacecraft | Sourced |
| Money: funding | Net proceeds of the August 2025 IPO were US$932.5 million. In an additional share offering on 1 June 2026 (the company sold 4.0 million shares and existing holders 8.0 million), the company's net proceeds were US$181.6 million. The revolving credit facility was enlarged to US$305 million in April 2026 | Sourced |
| Outside investments and acquisitions | SciTec was bought on 31 October 2025 for US$547.0 million (US$277.4 million in cash and US$269.6 million in shares). Space-ng (AI vision navigation) was bought on 25 June 2026 (no amount in the announcement). Eclipse is co-developed with Northrop Grumman, which made a US$50 million equity investment | Sourced |
| Public contracts: NASA | Blue Ghost Mission 1 carried 10 NASA payloads under a contract worth US$102.1 million. Including further Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) awards, the company says it has six lunar missions under contract. On 30 June 2026 it won a US$144 million CLPS award (targeted to launch in 2028). From NASA's JPL it holds subcontracts of US$75 million (MoonFall, delivery of drones) and US$13 million (the SkyFall Mars aeroshell) | Sourced |
| Public contracts: U.S. Space Force and others | Responsive launches for the U.S. Space Force (VICTUS NOX, VICTUS SOL and others). Contracts with the Space Force and Air Force through SciTec (for example US$94 million on 11 August 2026). Individual contract details are not covered here | Sourced |
| Commercial contracts | The multi-launch agreement with Lockheed Martin was extended in August 2026 (up to 25 launches on Alpha Block II, through 2031). Up to 20 launches with L3Harris (2027-2031). Two launches from Sweden with SSC Space | Sourced |
| University and research links | No university collaboration on the space business appears in the documents checked | Could not be confirmed |
The table below lists the main vehicles and missions and their status as far as the company's documents show (checked 17 October 2026). Performance values are the company's stated values, and vehicles with different conditions are not ranked against each other.
| Vehicle or mission | Type and main specifications (company's stated values) | Record or stage | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha | Two-stage small rocket, 31.7 m long. 1,030 kg to low Earth orbit (300 km) and 630 kg to sun-synchronous orbit (500 km). LOX and RP-1. Four Reaver engines on the first stage | Seven launches since September 2021; the company says five reached orbit successfully. Flight 7 (11 March 2026) achieved orbital insertion. In service | 11 March 2026 | Reference 1, 6, 8 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1860160/000119312526116479/d297617d424b3.htm https://fireflyspace.com/missions/alpha-flta007/ https://fireflyspace.com/alpha/ |
| Eclipse | A reusable scaled-up Alpha. Designed for 16,000 kg to low Earth orbit. Seven Miranda engines and one Vira engine. Co-developed with Northrop Grumman | In development. No first-launch date could be confirmed. Completion of the first-flight first-stage tank assembly is expected in 2026 (10-K) | 17 October 2026 | Reference 1, 2 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1860160/000119312526116479/d297617d424b3.htm https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1860160/000186016026000023/fly-20260630.htm |
| Blue Ghost (Mission 1) | A lunar lander. Up to 240 kg of payload to the surface (company's stated value) | Landed in Mare Crisium on 2 March 2025. Operated for 14 days of lunar day and five hours into the night. 10 NASA payloads, 120 GB of data | 2 March 2025 | Reference 1, 5, 9 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1860160/000119312526116479/d297617d424b3.htm https://fireflyspace.com/missions/ https://fireflyspace.com/blue-ghost/ |
| Blue Ghost (Mission 2) | To the far side of the Moon (Nassau Crater). Five science and technology instruments and one rover. Elytra relays communications | In development. Launch no earlier than 2027 (company page). The earlier 10-K said 2026 | 17 October 2026 | Reference 7 https://fireflyspace.com/missions/blue-ghost-mission-2/ |
| Elytra | A high-thrust multi-purpose orbital vehicle: lunar orbit, communications relay, space-domain awareness and more | Technology demonstrated on Blue Ghost Mission 1. Several contracts under way (development and demonstration stage) | 30 June 2026 | Reference 1, 2 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1860160/000119312526116479/d297617d424b3.htm https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1860160/000186016026000023/fly-20260630.htm |
"In development" does not mean operational use is assured. All performance values are the company's stated values and are not necessarily measured or third-party-certified figures.
The company says it builds Alpha's whole airframe and its tanks from carbon-fibre composite, using "linerless" cryogenic propellant tanks Sourced. A liner is the airtight film laid inside a composite shell. Dropping it saves weight, but the material itself must then resist the cracking and leaks that cryogenic liquids (liquid oxygen, RP-1) can cause, which makes design and inspection harder Not yet confirmed (our own explanation).
On the Moon, the cryogenic cold of the 14-day night is a major challenge. The 10-K says Blue Ghost Mission 1 operated for five hours into the lunar night. The company says it measured temperatures from more than 230°F (about 110°C) in the lunar day to below -275°F (about -171°C) at night (the conversions to degrees Celsius are our calculation Our calculation). In August 2026 it announced that a radioisotope-heater technology from Zeno Power, designed to survive the night, will fly on a near-side mission no earlier than 2028. In June 2026 it said it would build landers with improved thermal systems based on Mission 1 flight data Sourced.
In addition, on NASA JPL's SkyFall Mars mission (targeted to launch in late 2028), Firefly is to manufacture, test and deliver the aeroshell, which has a backshell and a heatshield. The company says it will use its expertise in large composite structures from rockets and landers Sourced. A heatshield is the material that protects a vehicle from the heat of atmospheric entry. For how heat protection works, see our explainers on thermal protection systems, space environments and their effects on materials, lunar exploration and Artemis, and space CFRP and composite materials.
6. What it has done so far
Alpha launches and the Moon landing are listed as far as the company's official pages, the 10-K and FAA announcements go. Failures and anomalies are given only as the authorities and the company have published them, and causes are not guessed.
| When | What happened | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Began operations | The company's starting point |
| 2 September 2021 | First Alpha flight (DREAM) | The first launch |
| August and October 2022 | In August it announced the co-development of Eclipse with Northrop Grumman. The second flight on 1 October reached orbit (company record) | Orbit reached, and a plan for a larger vehicle |
| 14 September 2023 | Flight 3 (VICTUS NOX). For the U.S. Space Force, the company says it launched about 24 hours after notification | Responsive launch |
| 22 December 2023 | Flight 4 (Fly the Lightning). The 10-K says the mission did not obtain the specified target orbit | A launch problem |
| 3 July 2024 | Flight 5 (Noise of Summer). A NASA launch demonstration with eight CubeSats | A NASA demonstration mission |
| 15 January - 2 March 2025 | Blue Ghost Mission 1 launched on 15 January and landed on the Moon on 2 March. 10 NASA payloads, a US$102.1 million contract, operation for 14 days and five hours into the night (company record) | The first fully successful commercial Moon landing (company claim) |
| 29 April 2025 | An anomaly on Flight 6 (Message in a Booster). The FAA required the company to conduct an investigation. The company says the FAA cleared a return to flight on 26 August 2025 | A launch anomaly and the FAA review |
| 8 August 2025 | IPO (net proceeds US$932.5 million) | Funding |
| 29 September 2025 | During testing at the Briggs, Texas site, the first stage for Flight 7 had an event that damaged the test stand (company record; a US$1.8 million asset write-off) | An event in ground testing |
| 31 October 2025 | Bought SciTec (consideration US$547.0 million) | Takes in defence software and data processing |
| 11 March 2026 | Flight 7 (Stairway to Seven). It entered orbit, delivered a Lockheed Martin demonstrator and relit the second-stage engine. It tested part of the Block II upgrades (company account) | Return to flight |
| May to September 2026 | MoonFall subcontract (26 May), Space-ng acquisition (25 June), US$144 million CLPS (30 June), SkyFall subcontract (7 July), Lockheed Martin extension (11 August), SSC Space contract (9 September), Starcloud contract (30 September) | More orders and wider business |
Dates in the table were checked against the company's official page (Missions), the 10-K, the 10-Q and FAA announcements. A company account includes the company's own assessment, so read "success" and "failure" together with what the authorities have confirmed.
7. What comes next
The items below are plans and targets, not achievements Not yet confirmed.
| Item | Content (company statements) | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Ghost Mission 2 (Riders 2 the Dark) | It aims to land on the Moon's far side, the first U.S. mission there. Six payloads (three through NASA, three commercial). Launch no earlier than 2027. The company says the trip from Earth to landing takes about 44 days, Elytra acts as a communications relay, and it stays in lunar orbit for up to five years | Not yet confirmed |
| Blue Ghost Missions 3 and 4, and further lunar missions | Mission 3 goes to the Gruithuisen Domes on the near side, with Blue Origin as partner for a rover and Starcloud's lunar-orbit computing payload (2028 or later). Mission 4 goes to the lunar south pole. The near-side mission contracted in June 2026 targets a 2028 launch. The company says it is moving from one landing a year to several | Not yet confirmed |
| More Alpha production and Block II | It plans to move fully to Block II from Flight 8 to raise production and reliability. Several launches are planned, including NASA's QuickSounder and INCUS and the Space Force's VICTUS SOL, but no dates could be confirmed | Not yet confirmed |
| Eclipse | A reusable vehicle co-developed with Northrop Grumman, with its first flight planned from Wallops. No first-flight date could be confirmed | Not yet confirmed |
| More launch sites | Besides SLC-2 at Vandenberg, pads are under construction at Wallops and at Esrange in Sweden (built with SSC Space). An expansion at Cape Canaveral is also planned. The first Esrange launch is no earlier than 2028 | Not yet confirmed |
| MoonFall and SkyFall | MoonFall: Elytra delivers four drones above the lunar south pole (2028 or later). SkyFall: delivery of a Mars aeroshell to JPL, which manages the mission | Not yet confirmed |
The following do not appear in the documents checked Not yet confirmed.
The date of Eclipse's first flight / the date of Alpha's next launch (Flight 8) / a fixed date for Blue Ghost Mission 2 / the amount paid for Space-ng / detailed amounts for individual contracts (including SciTec's defence contracts). Press-only figures such as "N launches in year X" are not used here.
8. What the company is aiming for in space
This section includes points the company does not state directly. They are inferences from what the primary sources show, given with their grounds.
| What can be read | Primary-source grounds | Type |
|---|---|---|
| It aims to offer launch, landing and in-orbit vehicles from one company | The company's slogan is "Launch. Land. Orbit." and the 10-K states its mission as "launch, transit, and operations" | Sourced |
| The centre of growth is spacecraft and software | About 89% of first-half 2026 revenue was spacecraft, which rose sharply after the SciTec acquisition | Inference |
| It will raise lunar work from one landing a year to several | The company's June 2026 announcement says it is moving from one landing a year to several, with a "build-to-print" production method | Sourced |
| Alpha's edge is responsive launch and defence use | The 10-K describes its 24-hour responsive-launch record and its extension to defence flight testing | Inference |
| It extends Elytra as a relay and computing base in lunar orbit too | A contract (September 2026) to fly Starcloud's computing payload (SC-1L) on Elytra | Sourced |
In its 30 June 2026 announcement the company said it would deliver a Blue Ghost lander of "build-to-print" design in about two years, which it describes as about half the time of the first Blue Ghost mission Sourced. Taken with six lunar missions under contract, a new cleanroom and several subcontracts won in 2026, this article reads the company as trying to turn lunar landing from a one-off feat into a business that can be produced repeatedly Not yet confirmed.
9. Map of partnerships in the space industry
10. Technology, products and services
| Area | Main products | What the company's documents say |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | Alpha, Eclipse | Alpha: 1,030 kg to low Earth orbit, 31.7 m long, a carbon-composite airframe, linerless cryogenic tanks and patented tap-off-cycle engines (four Reaver, one Lightning). First-stage vacuum thrust 801 kN and vacuum specific impulse 295.6 seconds (company's stated values). Eclipse: seven Miranda engines and one Vira engine, 16,000 kg to low Earth orbit |
| Lunar lander | Blue Ghost | Up to 240 kg to the lunar surface, over 400 W of power, operation through lunar day and night. With Elytra, up to 2,700 kg to orbit and up to five years of orbital operation (company's stated values) |
| Orbital vehicles | Elytra, Ocula (lunar imaging), Solux (vision) | Transport to the Moon, communications relay, imaging and space-domain awareness |
| Software and data processing | SciTec (acquired), Space-ng (acquired) | SciTec: large-scale processing of satellite data and defence software. Space-ng: AI vision navigation (used in the Blue Ghost Mission 1 landing) |
| Sites | Cedar Park/Leander, Rocket Ranch (Briggs), the Hive, Vandenberg | Rocket Ranch: rocket manufacturing and testing (six test stands). The Hive: spacecraft, software, cleanrooms and mission control. Vandenberg: launches from SLC-2. Pads under construction at Wallops and Esrange |
Firefly says it shares propulsion, flight software, batteries, electronics and composite structures across Alpha and Eclipse and also Blue Ghost and Elytra Sourced. Its engines too extend one patented tap-off design from Reaver (Alpha) to Miranda (Eclipse) and Lightning and Vira. Space materials and parts each need qualification testing, so the more parts are shared, the fewer tests and the lower the cost; that is the general idea Not yet confirmed (our own explanation).
Even so, as the Flight 6 anomaly and the event during testing of Flight 7's first stage show, a shared design can still meet problems in an individual vehicle. On Flight 7 the company tested some of the Block II's new electronics and enhanced thermal protection, and it plans to switch fully to Block II on Flight 8.
11. The risks this company carries
| Risk | Content | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Launch reliability | Alpha has flown seven times since 2021, and the 10-K says five reached orbit successfully. In December 2023 the mission did not reach its target orbit; in April 2025 an FAA mishap investigation was needed. In September 2025 a test stand was damaged in testing | Sourced |
| Schedule slips | Blue Ghost Mission 2 was once given as 2026 and the company page now says 2027 or later. No Eclipse first-flight date could be confirmed | Sourced |
| Continuing losses | Net loss was US$298.3 million in 2025 and US$189.0 million in the first half of 2026. R&D and administrative costs are large | Sourced |
| Concentration in one area | The 10-K says its operations and employees are concentrated within about 25 miles of Austin and that it has no back-up factory | Sourced |
| Approval by a co-developer | The 10-K says Eclipse's route to market could be affected by whether Northrop Grumman gives approvals | Sourced |
| Reliance on government and defence contracts | Most of the US$1,468.1 million backlog is government and defence work. It is exposed to changes in government budgets and policy and to shutdowns (10-Q) | Inference |
| Licences and environment | After an anomaly the FAA can require an investigation and licence changes. Expanding launch sites also depends on the regulation of other countries | Sourced |
12. Glossary
- Alpha
- Firefly's small rocket, which carries payloads of up to about a tonne.
- Eclipse
- A reusable rocket scaled up from Alpha (designed for 16,000 kg to low Earth orbit).
- Blue Ghost
- Firefly's lunar lander, which made the first fully successful commercial Moon landing.
- Elytra
- Firefly's multi-purpose orbital vehicle. It can carry payloads to the Moon and relay communications.
- CLPS
- The NASA framework for commissioning private landers to deliver science instruments and other payloads to the Moon.
- Mishap
- The FAA's term for a launch accident or malfunction. The FAA requires investigation and confirmation of corrective actions.
- Tap-off cycle
- An engine method that draws off some of the hot gas to drive the pumps. It needs few parts.
- Linerless tank
- A tank that holds liquid without an inner airtight film, using the composite itself.
- Responsive launch
- Launching a satellite on short notice (about 24 hours for Firefly).
- SciTec
- A defence software and data-processing company Firefly bought in 2025.
13. References
- Firefly Aerospace Prospectus Supplement No. 2 (Rule 424(b)(3), March 2026). It attaches the full text of the company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 2025, which was filed with the U.S. SEC on 19 March 2026. Business, vehicles, sites, headcount, 2025 revenue and results, risk factors. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1860160/000119312526116479/d297617d424b3.htm
- Firefly Aerospace Form 10-Q (quarter ended 30 June 2026; filed with the U.S. SEC on 11 August 2026). Revenue, results, backlog, cash, the additional share offering, Blue Ghost plans. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1860160/000186016026000023/fly-20260630.htm
- U.S. SEC EDGAR filing index for Firefly Aerospace Inc. (CIK 0001860160), used to confirm the Nasdaq listing and filing dates. https://data.sec.gov/submissions/CIK0001860160.json
- U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) FAA General Statements (the announcement of the mishap investigation of Firefly's Alpha Flight 6, 2025). https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/statements/general-statements
- Firefly Aerospace Missions (list of Alpha and Blue Ghost flights; checked 17 October 2026). https://fireflyspace.com/missions/
- Firefly Aerospace Alpha FLTA007 (the seventh flight, 11 March 2026). https://fireflyspace.com/missions/alpha-flta007/
- Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost + Elytra: Lunar Far Side (Blue Ghost Mission 2; checked 17 October 2026). https://fireflyspace.com/missions/blue-ghost-mission-2/
- Firefly Aerospace Alpha Launch Vehicle (the company's stated vehicle specifications; checked 17 October 2026). https://fireflyspace.com/alpha/
- Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost (the company's stated lander specifications; checked 17 October 2026). https://fireflyspace.com/blue-ghost/
- Firefly Aerospace Firefly Aerospace Awarded $144 Million NASA CLPS Contract for Accelerated Blue Ghost Lunar Mission (30 June 2026). https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-awarded-144-million-nasa-clps-contract-for-accelerated-blue-ghost-lunar-mission/
- Firefly Aerospace Firefly Aerospace Signs Starcloud as Commercial Customer, Demonstrating Data Center Capabilities Around the Moon (30 September 2026). https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-signs-starcloud-as-commercial-customer-demonstrating-data-center-capabilities-around-the-moon/
- Firefly Aerospace Firefly Aerospace Signs Contract with SSC Space for Two Alpha Launches from Esrange Space Center (9 September 2026). https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-signs-contract-with-ssc-space-for-two-alpha-launches-from-esrange-space-center/
- Firefly Aerospace Firefly Aerospace Announces Extension of Multi-Launch Agreement with Lockheed Martin Through 2031 (11 August 2026). https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-announces-extension-of-multi-launch-agreement-with-lockheed-martin-through-2031/
- Firefly Aerospace Firefly Aerospace Wins $75 Million NASA JPL MoonFall Subcontract to Deliver Drones to the Moon’s South Pole (26 May 2026). https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-wins-75-million-nasa-jpl-moonfall-subcontract-to-deliver-drones-to-the-moons-south-pole/
- Firefly Aerospace Firefly Aerospace Acquires Space-ng to Advance Future of Autonomous Space Operations (25 June 2026). https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-acquires-space-ng-to-advance-future-of-autonomous-space-operations/
- Firefly Aerospace Official website (source of the logo; checked 17 October 2026). https://fireflyspace.com/
- Firefly Aerospace Firefly Aerospace Receives $13 Million NASA JPL Subcontract to Build Aeroshell for SkyFall Mars Mission (7 July 2026). https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-receives-13-million-nasa-jpl-subcontract-to-build-aeroshell-for-skyfall-mars-mission/
- Firefly Aerospace Firefly Aerospace Onboards Zeno Power on Blue Ghost Mission to Demonstrate Radioisotope Technologies to Survive the Lunar Night (19 August 2026). https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-onboards-zeno-power-on-blue-ghost-mission-to-demonstrate-radioisotope-technologies-to-survive-the-lunar-night/
14. Claim-to-source audit
| Claim in the text | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Legal name, Nasdaq listing, existence of filings, the IPO (8 August 2025) and its proceeds | Sourced | Reference 1, 3 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1860160/000119312526116479/d297617d424b3.htm https://data.sec.gov/submissions/CIK0001860160.json |
| 2024-2025 revenue, results, R&D and capex; 1,409 employees; sites | Sourced | Reference 1 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1860160/000119312526116479/d297617d424b3.htm |
| January-June 2026 revenue, results, R&D and capex; backlog; cash; the additional share offering; the Leander headquarters | Sourced | Reference 2 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1860160/000186016026000023/fly-20260630.htm |
| Alpha's and Blue Ghost's stated specifications | Sourced | Reference 8, 9 https://fireflyspace.com/alpha/ https://fireflyspace.com/blue-ghost/ |
| Alpha flight dates and list (Flights 1-7); the date of Blue Ghost Mission 1 | Sourced | Reference 5 https://fireflyspace.com/missions/ |
| The FAA mishap investigation of Alpha Flight 6 and the clearance to return to flight (26 August 2025) | Sourced | Reference 1, 4 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1860160/000119312526116479/d297617d424b3.htm https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/statements/general-statements |
| The result of Alpha Flight 7 (11 March 2026) and Block II | Sourced | Reference 6 https://fireflyspace.com/missions/alpha-flta007/ |
| Blue Ghost Mission 1 payloads, contract value, operating time and data volume; the SciTec consideration; Northrop Grumman's Eclipse investment | Sourced | Reference 1 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1860160/000119312526116479/d297617d424b3.htm |
| Blue Ghost Mission 2 content and launch timing (2027 or later) | Sourced | Reference 7 https://fireflyspace.com/missions/blue-ghost-mission-2/ |
| The US$144 million CLPS award (30 June 2026) | Sourced | Reference 10 https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-awarded-144-million-nasa-clps-contract-for-accelerated-blue-ghost-lunar-mission/ |
| The Starcloud contract (30 September 2026) | Sourced | Reference 11 https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-signs-starcloud-as-commercial-customer-demonstrating-data-center-capabilities-around-the-moon/ |
| The SSC Space contract (9 September 2026) | Sourced | Reference 12 https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-signs-contract-with-ssc-space-for-two-alpha-launches-from-esrange-space-center/ |
| The Lockheed Martin extension (11 August 2026) | Sourced | Reference 13 https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-announces-extension-of-multi-launch-agreement-with-lockheed-martin-through-2031/ |
| The MoonFall subcontract (US$75 million) | Sourced | Reference 14 https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-wins-75-million-nasa-jpl-moonfall-subcontract-to-deliver-drones-to-the-moons-south-pole/ |
| The Space-ng acquisition (25 June 2026) | Sourced | Reference 15 https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-acquires-space-ng-to-advance-future-of-autonomous-space-operations/ |
| The SkyFall Mars aeroshell subcontract (US$13 million), the measured lunar day and night temperatures, and the Zeno Power agreement | Sourced | Reference 2, 17, 18 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1860160/000186016026000023/fly-20260630.htm https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-receives-13-million-nasa-jpl-subcontract-to-build-aeroshell-for-skyfall-mars-mission/ https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-onboards-zeno-power-on-blue-ghost-mission-to-demonstrate-radioisotope-technologies-to-survive-the-lunar-night/ |
| Spacecraft share (82% and 89%) | Our calculation | Our calculation. The underlying figures are in References 1 and 2 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1860160/000119312526116479/d297617d424b3.htm https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1860160/000186016026000023/fly-20260630.htm |
| Fahrenheit-to-Celsius conversions | Our calculation | Our conversion ((F - 32) / 1.8). The underlying figures are in Reference 18 |
| Eclipse's first-flight date, the Space-ng price and the date of Flight 8 | Not yet confirmed | Not found in the documents checked; this article does not guess |
| Blue Ghost Missions 2 to 4, further lunar missions, Eclipse, Alpha Block II and launches from Esrange | Not yet confirmed | Company targets, at the outlook stage; not achievements https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1860160/000186016026000023/fly-20260630.htm https://fireflyspace.com/missions/blue-ghost-mission-2/ https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-awarded-144-million-nasa-clps-contract-for-accelerated-blue-ghost-lunar-mission/ https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-signs-contract-with-ssc-space-for-two-alpha-launches-from-esrange-space-center/ |
| The centre of growth is spacecraft and software | Inference | Our own reading of the spacecraft share of revenue |
| Alpha's edge is responsive launch and defence use | Inference | Our own reading of the 10-K's description of responsive launch |
| It is trying to make lunar landing a repeatable business | Inference | Our own reading of the company's 30 June 2026 statement and the number of contracts |
| Reliance on government and defence contracts | Inference | Our own reading of the backlog and the 10-Q's remarks on government budgets |
Last updated 17 October 2026 / Troy Technical
Figures in this article come from Firefly Aerospace's statutory filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Form 10-K and Form 10-Q), FAA announcements, and the company's official pages and releases. No research-firm estimates or press-based figures have been used. Vehicle performance values are the company's stated values, and no claim of superiority over vehicles under different conditions is made. Passages marked "Inference" are this article's interpretation of primary sources, not statements made by the company. Share prices, valuations and investment judgements are not discussed.