Firefly Aerospace awarded contract to design Elytra Deorbit System for Defense Innovation Unit

Firefly Aerospace has 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.

“Firefly is known for performing some of the hardest missions in space, and this mission is no exception,” said Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. “In alignment with the White House order to prioritize orbital debris mitigation, our team designed a highly efficient, cost-effective solution for our Elytra vehicles to deorbit satellites nearing end of life. This dialable system can deorbit satellites of vastly different sizes and configurations to help mitigate the growing space debris challenge our industry is up against.”

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.

Elytra’s high-thrust maneuverability, ample fuel reserves, and payload capacity are well equipped to provide responsive in-space services, including payload delivery and deorbit services, long-haul communications, surveillance, and lunar imaging. The scalable, multi-mission Elytra vehicles are built with flight-proven components from Firefly’s launch vehicles and lunar landers, including the core avionics, composite structures, and propulsion system that successfully landed Blue Ghost on the Moon.