Firefly Aerospace wins contract for Elytra PDR deorbit mission

Firefly Aerospace (NASDAQ: FLY ), a market leading space and defense technology company, today announced a new contract with the Department of War’s Defense Innovation Unit and Space Development Agency to complete a preliminary design review (PDR) for a mission providing deorbit services with Firefly’s Elytra spacecraft.

Once the PDR is complete, Firefly will be eligible to compete for the next phase of mission execution, including launch and spacecraft operations.

As part of Firefly’s mission design, Elytra would be launched into low Earth orbit (LEO) before maneuvering to the client space object, performing rendezvous proximity operations, surveying the client, and completing the deorbit service.

Firefly’s proprietary deorbit system integrated on Elytra can provide satellite deorbit operations in LEO, medium Earth orbit (MEO), or geostationary Earth orbit (GEO).

Firefly is also on contract with the Defense Innovation Unit to perform a space domain awareness mission with its Elytra spacecraft no earlier than 2027.

With the core flight structures complete, the team has entered the spacecraft integration and test phase for the mission.