Last month, NASA selected Firefly Aerospace to deliver a set of 10 research payloads to the moon in 2023, the latest award in its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, worth $93.3 million.
The 10 payloads include science experiments and technology demonstrations, ranging from a probe to measure heat flow from the lunar interior and an X-ray imager to study the interaction of the Earth’s magnetosphere with the solarwind, to a demonstration of a radiation-tolerant computer system and an experiment to test the ability to use GPS signals at lunar distances.
During the last few years, Firefly Aerospace, an American-Ukrainian company owned by seasoned entrepreneur Max Polyakov, is working on space and rocket technology. Others in the sector include SpaceX and RocketLab.
Polyakov has invested more than $150 million of his own money into rocketry. This is more than the founders of the other leading rocket companies.
When Polyakov bought Firefly Aerospace in 2018 and invested more than $75 million, he aimed to make it one of the most successful companies providing affordable space transportation. The CLPS 19D mission represents the third pillar in the company’s plan to become the U.S. premier end-to-end space transportation company. Now, the NASA award comes as a validation for all of the company’s hard work in recent years.
“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,” explained Polyakov, founder of Noosphere Ventures, the largest investor in Firefly Aerospace.
“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,” Polyakov added.
The payloads are to be delivered to the lunar surface in 2023 by the company’s “Blue Ghost” lunar lander, which is being developing, qualifying, and manufactured at its spacecraft integration facilities in Cedar Park, TX, about 30 minutes north of Austin. NASA’s support for the company’s lunar program will allow it to increase its capabilities for in-space services to the benefit of both U.S. government and commercial customers.
The Firefly’s team of 330 aerospace professionals already leverages over $100 million in specialized engineering, production, and test facilities to establish itself as a leader in the U.S. space industrial base.
The company recently also announced a new board of directors and corporate expansion plans, crucial to the company’s efforts to transition from a rapid product development company to an integrated provider of launch, in-space, and lunar mission services for commercial, civil, and national security space customers.
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