Firefly Aerospace’s New Elytra Dawn Spacecraft Is About To Be Tested By The U.S. Military

Firefly Aerospace has secured a new contract under the US Department of Defence Sinequone Project to use its Elytra Dawn spacecraft for orbital missions. This is a three-phase initiative that aims to address geosynchronous orbit (xGEO) issues by the rapid deployment of technologies using on-demand services.

The Firefly Aerospace Elytra Dawn Spacecraft Will Prove Its Usability Before the US Department of Defence

Following the announcement of the Sinequone Project on 21 March 2024, Firefly Aerospace emerged as one of the 94 companies that submitted solution briefs. These various briefs showcased space technologies that will help the Department of Defence to “foster safe and secure commercial and civil growth” within the xGEO (beyond GEO) region in space.

Firefly Aerospace is bringing its Elytra Dawn spacecraft into this program to demonstrate its “technical feasibility and operational effectiveness.” The new contract from the US Department of Defence shows that Firefly Aerospace is clear for the program’s second phase.

In this second phase, the Elytra Dawn will embark on its first mission (sometime in 2027) to LEO to show off its capabilities. During the mission, the space vehicle will complete a series of orbital tasks that will be given to it by the US Department of Defence.

Some of the things that the department will take into observation during this mission are the vehicle’s design, capability, and its space awareness operations. Additionally, the mission will carry some optical and infrared cameras, navigation units, and some electrical payloads that will have modular interfaces.

In addition to all of this, Firefly Aerospace will have to rely on the use of its existing technology like engines, landers, avionics, and propulsion systems. This will give the space firm a fair chance of meeting the technical demands of this program.

Firefly Aerospace Prepares For More Space Missions

Following its successful lunar lander mission, Firefly Aerospace has set its sights on various targets. To meet the demands of these various goals that the firm is setting for itself, the firm plans to expand its manufacturing base in Texas.

For this, Firefly was able to secure an $8.2 million grant to help it with the expansion of its manufacturing base and possibly speed up the Elytra program. Aside from the US Department of Defence contract, Firefly Aerospace also has other contracts that it will be working on as well.

Some of these contracts include the VICTUS HAZE and VICTUS SOL missions for the U.S. Space Force. The firm seems to be gaining the trust of various governmental partners as it executes each contract gracefully.