Firefly inks $1.3 billion deal to supply engines for AST SpaceMobile’s new Blacklift rocket
FLY•Firefly Aerospace will supply 36 engines and license intellectual property to AST SpaceMobile under a deal worth more than $1.3 billion. AST is targeting a late-2028 debut launch for its Blacklift rocket.
1. Engine supply deal
Firefly Aerospace will build and supply 27 Miranda engines and nine Vira in-space engines for the first three Blacklift rockets under its agreement with AST SpaceMobile. The deal also grants AST a license to eventually manufacture the engines itself.
2. Blacklift plans
AST is targeting a late-2028 debut launch for Blacklift, which it says is designed for reusability and can carry up to five BlueBird satellites per launch. The company still plans to use external rockets and has more than 100 launch agreements in place as it targets deployment of 248 satellites.
3. Firefly expansion
Firefly CEO Jason Kim said the deal, valued at more than $1.3 billion, would support production and testing, including more test bays, advance purchases of long-lead materials, and a larger engineering and technician team. The Miranda engine is also used in Firefly’s Eclipse rocket, whose first launch is planned for sometime in 2027.
