NASA has entered agreements with six aerospace companies for studies focused on the use of orbital transfer vehicles to reach various challenging orbits.
NASA has awarded Firefly Aerospace a $176.7 million task orde for the delivery of two microrovers and three scientific payloads to the lunar south pole in 2029.
Firefly Aerospace would raise up to $632 million in capital as part of its initial public offering based on the upper end of the company’s proposed listing price.
Firefly’s decision to head to the public markets adds to the theme of startups championing their national security credentials to validate their growth plans.
Northrop Grumman is adding $50 million to a joint project with Firefly Aerospace to design, own and operate a new Delta II-class medium-lift launch vehicle.
A mission to showcase a new Lockheed Martin multipurpose, midsize satellite bus was lost following a troubled launch of Firefly Aerospace’s sixth Alpha rocket.
Success was all the sweeter when Firefly, with its debut spacecraft, not only landed on the Moon, but operated for more than 14 days on the lunar surface.
Intuitive and NASA are awaiting imagery from the agency’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to establish whether Athena is upright, leaning, or tipped over.
The company will use the facility to support the design, development and production of new space superiority solutions and expand its classified operations.
