Firefly Aerospace Awarded NASA Spacecraft Processing Operations Contract

Shares of AST SpaceMobile (ASTS), Intuitive Machines (LUNR), Firefly Aerospace (FLY), and EchoStar (SATS) rose in premarket trading after SpaceX's IPO filing highlighted the space economy's potential. SpaceX estimates a $28.5 trillion market opportunity, with significant gains in satellite broadband, AI, and connectivity. ASTS and SATS led premarket gains, with SpaceX targeting a $2 trillion valuation and a $75 billion IPO.

Firefly Aerospace (FLY) gained investor attention after securing a NASA contract for spacecraft processing. The company's stock rose 20.80% in the past month but has declined 50.61% over 90 days and 46.97% over a year. Analysts debate its valuation, with some suggesting it's undervalued at $24.45, citing potential growth in space and defense sectors. However, Firefly faces challenges, including sizable losses and launch reliability issues.

Firefly Aerospace said NASA awarded it a contract to provide spacecraft processing facilities and services for missions launching from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The deal covers payload processing, fueling, integration and encapsulation, with Firefly’s Payload Processing Facility near Space Launch Complex 2. It also noted existing NASA launch agreements for Quicksounder and INCUS on its Alpha rocket.

Firefly Aerospace (Nasdaq: FLY) said NASA awarded it a Spacecraft Processing Operations Contract, making the company eligible to bid for task orders to provide payload processing facilities and services for NASA missions launching from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Firefly’s payload processing facility near Space Launch Complex 2 includes an ISO 8 cleanroom and supports fueling, integration, and encapsulation for small and medium payloads and hypergolic spacecraft.

Firefly Aerospace (NASDAQ:FLY) said it signed a first-phase U.S. Department of Defense contract for a preliminary design review of a deorbit mission, issued by the Defense Innovation Unit and Space Development Agency. The contract does not disclose value. If the PDR succeeds, Firefly can compete for later phases using its Elytra spacecraft, according to the company.

SciTec, a subsidiary of Firefly Aerospace (Nasdaq: FLY), won a nearly $94 million U.S. Space Force contract to supply ground-based radar digitization for Space Systems Command in Colorado Springs. SciTec said the work will modernize radars via a common architecture and design. SciTec was absorbed into Firefly last year for $855 million.