News Provided by YTexas
September 15, 2023
Firefly Aerospace to exhibit at 2nd Annual YTexas Summit
Discover Workforce and Supply Chain partnerships with Firefly
Cedar Park, Texas, September 15, 2023 – Firefly Aerospace, Inc., an end-to-end space transportation company, will be exhibiting at AT&T Stadium at the 2nd Annual YTexas Summit on Friday, October 6. The company will be in attendance to showcase the advanced technology they are manufacturing in the Lone Star State.
Firefly is a great Texas story. The company set up its headquarters in Cedar Park Texas in 2017, then a production and test site in Briggs, Texas to be close to the headquarters. This close proximity allowed them to rapidly design, build, test, and iterate our rocket technologies.
Firefly has been an innovator in the Texas aerospace ecosystem, leading the way for countless others to enter the state. It hasn’t been an easy road, but one well worth the ride. The company will share its story, and exhibit its innovative product offerings to Texas commercial businesses and students at the home of the Dallas Cowboys.
Firefly has had a plethora of accomplishments this year:
- On September 14, the company successfully launched its Alpha rocket and deployed the VICTUS NOX spacecraft following a 24-hour notice to complete final payload operations and mission preparations. Led by U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command’s (SSC) Space Safari Program Office and in close partnership with the Rocket Systems Launch Program, the mission advances the nation’s capability to rapidly respond to on-orbit needs during a conflict or in response to a national security threat.
- On September 5, the company announced it signed a multi-launch agreement with L3Harris Technologies [NYSE:LHX] for three dedicated launches on Firefly’s Alpha vehicle in 2026. The agreement further positions Firefly as the leader in small-lift launch services as the company ramps up production of its Alpha vehicle to support the growing needs of both government and commercial customers. Firefly will provide rapid launch capabilities for L3Harris to achieve direct access to low Earth orbit at a lower cost and support the responsive space needs of the U.S. government. The three missions will launch from Firefly’s SLC-2 launch site at the Vandenberg Space Force Base.
- The company was awarded a $112 million NASA contract to deliver multiple lunar payloads in 2026. As Firefly’s second task order won under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, the company will use its Blue Ghost spacecraft in a two-stage configuration to first place a satellite into lunar orbit and then deliver two research payloads on the far side of the Moon.
- In June of 2023, Firefly announced it signed a launch agreement with Lockheed Martin to support a technology demonstration mission that will launch aboard Firefly’s Alpha vehicle. “Firefly’s flight-proven hardware and rapid launch capabilities are well-aligned with Lockheed Martin’s mission needs, and we’re proud to serve as one of their launch providers,” said Bill Weber, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. “We have the infrastructure, technologies, systems, and a dedicated team in place to provide on-demand launch services for both government and commercial customers.”
The YTexas Summit will focus on supply chain innovation, workforce development strategies, capital connections, and relocation best practices. YTexas will utilize the field for industry collaboration in over 10 areas including advanced manufacturing, intelligent infrastructure, sports & entertainment and energy.
To visit with the Firefly team and attend the Summit, tickets are available at YTexas.com/2023summit.
