Firefly Aerospace Wins $75 Million NASA JPL MoonFall Subcontract to Deliver Drones to the Moon’s South Pole

Firefly Space, a space and defense technology company that enables government and commercial customers to launch, land, and operate in space, anywhere, anytime, led by Jason Kim and the team, has announced it was awarded a $75 million subcontract from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to deliver four drones to the Moon’s south pole in support of the agency’s MoonFall mission, targeted to launch no earlier than 2028.

MoonFall is part of the first phase of NASA’s Moon Base program, a broader lunar infrastructure initiative aimed at enabling a sustained human presence on the Moon and expanding scientific research and commercial operations at the lunar south pole.

The MoonFall mission will build on Firefly Aerospace’s existing lunar capabilities, utilizing the Elytra spacecraft platform developed from the same technology foundation as the Blue Ghost lunar lander. The spacecraft are designed to transport and deploy critical high-mass payloads throughout cislunar space, supporting future lunar exploration, infrastructure development, and scientific missions.

MoonFall Drones to Explore the Lunar South Pole.

For the mission, Firefly’s spacecraft will transport a fleet of drones developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on a 45-day journey to the Moon. After entering lunar orbit, the spacecraft will deploy the drones approximately 50 kilometers above the lunar south pole, enabling a controlled descent to the surface.

Operating for up to one lunar day, roughly 14 Earth days, the drones will survey the south polar region, including permanently shadowed areas, using optical cameras and scientific instruments. Building on the legacy of Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, the vehicles will perform multiple powered hops to access difficult terrain, identify potential landing sites, and search for resources such as water ice in support of future missions under the Artemis Program.

The contract further expands Firefly Aerospace’s lunar mission portfolio, which already includes multiple missions under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. Development is also progressing on Blue Ghost Missions 2, 3, and 4 as the company scales production capabilities for future lunar landers and spacecraft.

According to Ray Allensworth, the company is expanding its spacecraft production capabilities to support NASA’s growing lunar exploration initiatives and future Blue Ghost missions. The addition of MoonFall further strengthens Firefly’s lunar mission portfolio as demand increases for spacecraft and infrastructure supporting the next phase of Moon exploration and development.

Elytra Built on Proven Lunar Landing Technology.

The Elytra spacecraft selected for MoonFall incorporates key technologies validated during Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1, including its avionics architecture, carbon-composite structures, and Spectre propulsion system. Designed with greater payload capacity and high delta-V performance, the Elytra Dark configuration will be capable of delivering up to 1,000 kilograms of drones and other payloads in support of advanced lunar exploration missions.