Firefly Wins Fifth NASA Lunar Delivery Contract

Firefly Aerospace has been awarded a $176.7 million NASA contract to deliver two rovers, including MoonRanger and a Canadian Space Agency rover, and three scientific instruments to the Moon’s south pole in 2029 as part of NASA’s CLPS initiative and Artemis campaign. The Blue Ghost Mission 4 will utilize Firefly’s Elytra orbital vehicle and Blue Ghost lander to deploy payloads designed to analyze the lunar surface, assess hazards, and explore resources in permanently shadowed regions. Firefly’s Elytra vehicle will stay in lunar orbit for over five years, providing communication and long-term imaging, while surface operations will last over 12 days. This contract marks Firefly’s fifth CLPS award, following its historic first commercial lunar landing in March 2025 and several additional mission wins. The mission highlights NASA’s increasing reliance on commercial partners to accelerate lunar exploration and support future crewed missions. Private companies like Firefly are playing a growing role in advancing U.S. objectives for sustainable lunar exploration.