Firefly Aerospace
Texas launch and spacecraft company (Nasdaq: FLY since August 2025) whose Blue Ghost Mission 1 landed in Mare Crisium on 2 March 2025 and hosted Honeybee Robotics' Lunar PlanetVac, which collected, transferred and sorted lunar soil (sample collection, not extraction). Its second lunar mission, now set for no earlier than 2027, is to carry Fleet Space's SPIDER seismic payload, which Firefly says will detect water ice deposits.
An organization's level is recorded separately and is not a ranking of its linked missions' results. How the ladder works.
Resources and evidence
Each resource shows the highest step primary sources support. How the ladder works.
| Resource | Evidence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Regolith | Targeted | work aimed at it |
| Water ice | Targeted | work aimed at it |
Demonstrated
Carried Honeybee Robotics' Lunar PlanetVac on Blue Ghost Mission 1 (landed 2025-03-02); the payload collected, transferred and sorted lunar soil using pressurized nitrogen. The sampling hardware was Honeybee's; the material was not returned to Earth or processed.
Claimed or planned
Blue Ghost Mission 2 (far side, NET 2027) will deploy Fleet Space's SPIDER seismic payload, which Firefly says will 'detect water ice deposits'.
Facts
- Headquarters
- United States
- Type
- Company
- Founded
- 2017
- Status
- Activeas of 2026-05-26. NASA's 2026-05-26 release states NASA selected Firefly to build the MoonFall drone transport spacecraft; Firefly's mission page lists Blue Ghost Mission 2 as upcoming.
- Roles
- Lander / transport
- Targets
- Moon
- Also known as
- Firefly Aerospace Inc.; Firefly; FLY
- Website
- fireflyspace.com
Missions
4 records| Mission | Role | Launch or landing | Phase | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 1 (Ghost Riders in the Sky)Spacecraft | Operator | 2025-01-15 | Ended | Success |
| Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 2 (Riders 2 the Dark)Spacecraft | Operator | Planned, no earlier than 2027 | In development | Not applicable |
| Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 4 (NASA CLPS task order CS-6, lunar south pole)Spacecraft | Operator | Planned, no earlier than 2029 | In development | Not applicable |
| MoonRanger micro-rover (Astrobotic / Carnegie Mellon University, Neutron Spectrometer System)Payload | Carrier | Planned, no earlier than 2029 | Manifested | Not applicable |
Dated events
Amounts are shown one at a time as each source states them. They are never added together.
- 2026-11-07
NASA selects eight companies for CLPS 2 lunar deliveries ($10 billion combined maximum)
NASA selected eight companies as eligible to compete for future lunar surface delivery missions under CLPS 2: Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace, Intuitive Machines, ispace-U.S., Lockheed Martin Space, Northrop Grumman Space Systems, SpaceX and Voyager Technologies. CLPS 2 is a 10-year, multiple-award master contract with a combined maximum value of $10 billion; that maximum is a ceiling, not money awarded to any company. NASA also raised the current CLPS contract's value from $2.6 billion to $4.2 billion.
Sources (3) and evidence gaps
NASA selected eight companies for the next phase of its CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative. The companies are eligible to compete for future lunar surface delivery missions under the new CLPS 2 contract: Blue Origin Firefly Aerospace Intuitive Machines ispace-U.S. Lockheed Martin Space Northrop Grumman Space Systems SpaceX Voyager Technologies
The CLPS 2 framework is a 10-year, multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity master contract with a combined maximum value of $10 billion.
NASA increased the value of the current CLPS 1.0 contract from $2.6 billion to $4.2 billion to support initial Phase One Moon Base objectives.
- NASA's release names no CLPS 2 task order. Lockheed Martin Space and Northrop Grumman Space Systems have no record in this dataset, so they are named here and not linked.
- 2025-08-06
Firefly Aerospace IPO pricing announcement (19,296,000 shares at USD 45)
Firefly Aerospace announced pricing on 6 August 2025 of 19,296,000 IPO shares at USD 45 per share. The recorded USD 868,320,000 is shares multiplied by price, before fees and any underwriter option; it is not confirmed net or completed proceeds. Trading was expected on 7 August and closing on 8 August, subject to customary conditions.
Company statements only. No independent or government source is recorded here.
Sources (2) and evidence gaps
today announced the pricing of its upsized initial public offering of 19,296,000 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $45.00 per share
The shares are expected to begin trading on Nasdaq Global Market on August 7, 2025 under the ticker symbol “FLY,”
- Closing confirmation and over-allotment exercise not confirmed from an SEC filing.
- 2023-12-05
DARPA selects Helios for the LunA-10 lunar architecture study
DARPA listed Helios among 14 companies selected for its LunA-10 capability study on integrated lunar infrastructure, which DARPA says does not fund hardware construction or transport to the Moon; Firefly Aerospace, Honeybee Robotics and Blue Origin were also selected.
Sources (2) and evidence gaps
DARPA has selected the following companies for LunA-10: Blue Origin CisLunar Industries Crescent Space Services LLC Fibertek, Inc. Firefly Aerospace GITAI Helios Honeybee Robotics ICON
LunA-10 will not fund technology construction, transportation to the lunar surface, or integration with lunar delivery vehicles
- Award value per performer not stated.
- 2023-11-08
Firefly agreement to deliver Fleet Space SPIDER to the lunar far side
Firefly Aerospace announced an agreement with Fleet Space Technologies to deliver and operate the SPIDER seismic payload on Firefly's second Blue Ghost lunar mission. The November 2023 release then planned that flight for 2026; that historical expectation does not establish the current mission date or completed delivery.
Company statements only. No independent or government source is recorded here.
Sources (1) and evidence gaps
today announced a new agreement with Fleet Space Technologies, an Australian space exploration firm, to deliver and operate
- Contract value not disclosed.
Open evidence gaps
- IPO final proceeds (including any over-allotment exercise) not confirmed from an SEC filing (EDGAR refused raw fetches).
Sources
6 excerpts from 5 publicationsOne web address counts as one publication.
Lunar PlanetVac for example successfully collected, transferred, and sorted lunar soil from the Moon using pressurized nitrogen gas.
Firefly's Blue Ghost lunar lander will deploy Fleet Space's SPIDER payload to detect water ice deposits and examine the mineral profile of the lunar subsurface
Set to launch no earlier than 2027, the mission will deliver six international payloads
The shares are expected to begin trading on Nasdaq Global Market on August 7, 2025 under the ticker symbol "FLY,"
Established in 2017, Firefly's engineering, manufacturing, and test facilities are co-located in central Texas
has selected Firefly Aerospace to build the spacecraft that will transport the drones from Earth orbit to the Moon
Cite this record
SpaceMiningData, “Firefly Aerospace”, dataset version a00fa2c68a45, built 2026-11-11, https://spaceminingdata.com/organizations/firefly-aerospace.html. Record checked 2026-09-25.