Representatives of the American company Firefly Aerospace announced the signing of a new large-scale contract with Lockheed Martin for the launch of Alpha rockets developed by them. In total, up to 25 launches can be carried out over the next 5 years.
Firefly Aerospace and Lockheed Martin contract
On Wednesday, June 5, representatives of Firefly Aerospace, Inc. announced the signing of a new large-scale agreement with one of the leading manufacturers of space technology Lockheed Martin. According to it, in the period up to 2029, the industrial giant reserves for itself 15 launches of the Alpha light rocket and can request 10 optional.
Firefly Aerospace has a long and complicated history. Founded by American engineers, at some point it was on the verge of bankruptcy, but it was saved by Max Polyakov, an international entrepreneur in the field of IT and space technologies. Later, it was able to successfully launch its Alpha rocket and receive a number of important contracts. Recently, there have been rumors about a possible sale of the company for $ 1.5 billion.
Built using lightweight carbon composites and patented propulsion technologies, Firefly Alpha’s rocket provides low-cost satellite launch services weighing up to 1,030 kg and is able to meet the growing demand for operational space missions when and where customers need to fly.
Cooperation with Lockheed Martin
For Firefly Aerospace, cooperation with Lockheed Martin is nothing new. They were partners before that. Now the company has the opportunity to expand not only its partnership with the aerospace giant, but also its own production facilities.
It is expected that Alpha will begin launching Lockheed Martin spacecraft into orbit this year. The first mission in this series will be as operational as the one that the company’s representatives carried out some time ago in the interests of the American military. This means that all operations to deliver the rocket to the launch pad at Vandenberg Air Base, install it there and launch it will be carried out as soon as possible.
On the other hand, representatives of Lockheed Martin also greatly appreciate the cooperation with Firefly Aerospace. According to them, it allows them to diversify their launches and get a quick way to put spacecraft into orbit.
According to fireflyspace.com
