NASA Taps Cedar Park-Based Firefly To Build Lunar Payloads

CEDAR PARK, TX — NASA has awarded Cedar Park-based Aerospace Firefly $93.3 million to deliver a suite of ten science and technology demonstration payloads to Mare Crisium in the moon’s Crisium basin, company officials announced Thursday.

Firefly’s "Blue Ghost" lunar lander will deliver the payloads to the moon's surface in 2023 in fulfillment of Commercial Lunar Payload Services task order 19D, managed by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, officials said.

“Firefly and its teammates are honored to be selected by NASA to deliver these important payloads to the lunar surface, paving the way for human and robotic exploration missions to follow," Firefly founder and CEO Tom Markusic said in a prepared statement. "The CLPS 19D mission represents the third pillar in Firefly’s plan to become America’s premier end-to-end space transportation company. With our Alpha launch vehicle providing launch services, and our Space Utility Vehicle (SUV) providing in-space mobility, Firefly is poised to ensure U.S. preeminence in the commercialization of cislunar space. The Firefly team of 330 aerospace professionals leverages over $100M in specialized engineering, production, and test facilities to establish itself as a leader in the nation’s space industrial base.”

Added Max Polyakov, founder of Noosphere Ventures, the largest investor in Firefly: “This award is further validation of Firefly, its team and its mission to become a versatile provider of a broad range of space-related services. It’s extremely gratifying to know that NASA recognizes the tremendous talent we’ve assembled at Firefly. Our recently appointed board members bring the highest level of U.S. Government expertise and provide strategic guidance to further strengthen the company as we move into this next phase of accelerated growth. It’s an exciting time.’’

Blue Ghost (named after the rare Phausis reticulata firefly) will operate on-board payloads through lunar transit, during lunar orbit, and on the lunar surface for a complete lunar day (about 14 Earth days) and well into the freezing dark of lunar night, officials said in an advisory. In addition to the NASA-sponsored payloads, officials added, the lander will carry more than 50 kg of commercial payloads. Some of this commercial capacity remains available.

“Our team’s collective experience resulted in a creative technical solution to meet the needs of all these payloads, with a strong emphasis on both lunar science return and customer service through each mission phase,” Lander Chief Engineer Will Coogan said in a prepared statement. “Firefly’s expertise in rapidly developing and operating efficient space systems combined with expertise from Redwire in development and operations of deep space systems, Advanced Solutions (ASI) in GN&C and spacecraft software, and SpaceWorks Inc. in spacecraft systems engineering makes for an extremely capable lander team.”

Firefly is developing, qualifying, and manufacturing Blue Ghost at its spacecraft integration facilities in Cedar Park, Lander Program Manager Shea Ferring said. “We are utilizing our Austin-based AS9100-certified engineering, test, and production facilities to build and operate world-class spacecraft," Ferring said. "NASA’s support for our lunar program allows us to increase our capabilities for in-space services to the benefit of both US government and commercial customers.”