TLDR
- Firefly Aerospace (FLY) stock rose 18.81% on Tuesday, closing at $58.81
- NASA awarded Firefly a $75 million subcontract for its MoonFall mission
- Firefly will deliver four drones to the Moon’s south pole using its Elytra spacecraft
- The mission targets a 2028 launch as part of NASA’s long-term Moon Base initiative
- Firefly’s Elytra will carry the drones on a 45-day transit before deploying them 50km above the lunar south pole
Firefly Aerospace (FLY) closed at $58.81 on Tuesday, up 18.81%, after NASA awarded the company a $75 million subcontract tied to lunar exploration.
The next era of Moon exploration has begun! We're proud to announce a $75 million subcontract from @NASAJPL to deliver four drones above the Moon's south pole with our Elytra orbiter. In support of @NASA's MoonFall mission and larger Moon Base initiative, these drones will helpā¦
— Firefly Aerospace (@FireflySpace) May 26, 2026
The contract covers the delivery of four drones to the Moon’s south pole as part of NASA’s MoonFall mission. The launch is targeted for 2028.
MoonFall sits within the first phase of NASA’s broader Moon Base initiative. The program is designed to build sustained human presence and expand scientific and commercial activity at the lunar south pole.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is building the drones and managing the mission. NASA will also source the launch vehicle separately.
Once launched, Firefly’s Elytra spacecraft will carry the four drones across a 45-day transit to the Moon. The spacecraft will then enter lunar orbit before deorbiting and executing a braking maneuver.
The drones will be deployed roughly 50 kilometers above the Moon’s south pole. It’s a technically demanding sequence, and Firefly is positioning its Elytra as the right tool for the job.
CEO Jason Kim pointed to the company’s track record with Blue Ghost, which successfully landed on the Moon. “Built upon the same proven systems that landed Blue Ghost on the Moon, our Elytra spacecraft are equipped to deploy critical high-mass payloads across cislunar space,” he said.
Elytra Spacecraft at the Center of the Mission
Kim also framed the MoonFall contract as a natural extension of what Firefly does. “This subcontract underscores our commitment to executing challenging missions that push the boundaries of lunar exploration,” he said in a statement Tuesday.
Elytra is a cislunar transfer vehicle designed to move payloads between Earth orbit and the Moon. Its role in MoonFall puts it in a high-profile operational context for the first time since Blue Ghost.
The mission profile requires Elytra to perform a deorbit burn and braking maneuver before drone deployment ā a more complex task than a standard lunar surface landing.
MoonFall Part of Larger NASA Strategy
MoonFall is not a standalone project. It feeds into NASA’s Moon Base program, which aims to establish long-term infrastructure at the lunar south pole.
The south pole has become a key target for lunar exploration because of suspected water ice deposits in permanently shadowed craters. Drones could help survey terrain that surface rovers cannot easily reach.
Firefly previously demonstrated its lunar delivery capability through the Blue Ghost lander mission, which reached the Moon’s surface earlier this year. That mission gave NASA confidence in Firefly’s execution, which likely factored into the MoonFall subcontract award.
The $75 million contract adds to Firefly’s growing portfolio of NASA work. The company has been building its position in the commercial lunar market over recent years.
FLY stock was up 18.81% at $58.81 at Tuesday’s close.
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