Firefly Aerospace to Compete for Launch Service Missions Under $700M NRO Contract

Firefly Aerospace has been qualified to compete for task orders under a potential 10-year, $700 million contract to provide its Alpha rocket to launch small satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office.The company said Thursday it will serve as a launch service provider under the Streamlined Launch Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity Contract to deploy NRO satellites to low Earth orbit from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.Bill Weber, CEO of Firefly Aerospace, said the company has doubled the size of its launch facilities, installed automated carbon composite technologies and fine-tuned operations to address the growing demand for its Alpha rocket.The small launch vehicle has a payload capacity of over 1,000 kg and can be paired with Firefly’s Elytra vehicle to support relocation, space domain awareness, and de-orbiting services.Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Space Summit on March 5 to learn how new technologies, commercial investments and adversarial threats are shaping the future of space. Click here to register!