Firefly Aerospace wins NASA MoonFall contract for South Pole mission
Firefly said the drones will conduct multiple propulsive hops to explore areas that are difficult to access and identify landing zones and resources, including water ice for future human missions.
Firefly Aerospace has secured a $75 million subcontract from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to deliver four drones to the Moon’s south pole as part of NASA’s MoonFall mission targeted for launch no earlier than 2028. The company said its Elytra spacecraft will transport the drones in support of NASA’s broader Moon Base initiative focused on enabling sustained human presence and scientific activity at the lunar south pole.
The Texas-based space and defence company said the MoonFall mission marks another expansion of its lunar operations portfolio following its involvement in NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services programme. Under the subcontract, Firefly’s Elytra spacecraft will carry the drones during a 45-day transit to the Moon before entering lunar orbit and deploying them about 50 kilometres above the lunar south pole.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is developing the drones and managing the mission, while NASA will procure the launch vehicle for the programme. The drones are expected to operate for up to one lunar day, equivalent to nearly 14 Earth days, surveying the South Pole terrain and permanently shadowed regions using optical cameras and scientific instruments.
The mission is also designed to support NASA’s Artemis programme. Firefly said the drones will conduct multiple propulsive hops to explore areas that are difficult to access and identify landing zones and resources, including water ice for future human missions. After completing their final flights, the drones’ survive-the-night payloads are expected to continue operating for several months.
“NASA’s MoonFall is an incredible breakthrough mission well aligned with the bold innovation and successful execution that Firefly is known for,” said Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. “This subcontract highlights our dedication to undertaking challenging missions that expand the frontiers of lunar exploration. Built upon the same proven systems that landed Blue Ghost on the Moon, our Elytra spacecraft are equipped to deploy critical high-mass payloads across cislunar space.”
Firefly said the MoonFall subcontract builds on work already underway for Blue Ghost Missions 2, 3 and 4 under NASA’s CLPS initiative. The company added that it is expanding its cleanroom facilities to support higher spacecraft production capacity and future lunar missions.
“As NASA accelerates its Moon Base initiatives, Firefly is rapidly scaling spacecraft production to support these missions and subsequent Blue Ghost lunar landings,” said Ray Allensworth, Vice President of Spacecraft at Firefly Aerospace. “This is a transformational era for our industry, and we’re excited to add this innovative mission to our growing manifest.”
According to the company, the Elytra spacecraft for the MoonFall mission will use systems derived from Blue Ghost Mission 1, including avionics, carbon composite structures and Spectre engines. Firefly said the Elytra Dark configuration selected for the mission will be capable of delivering up to 1,000 kilogrammes of drone payloads.
