Firefly Aerospace (FLY) shares ticked up about 1% on Thursday after the company announced a fresh $144 million contract with NASA. The deal, awarded under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, funds a Blue Ghost lunar mission slated for launch in 2028.
Firefly says it plans to complete this mission in roughly two years—about half the development time of its first Blue Ghost mission—by leaning on its standardized lander design and the operational experience gained from that successful landing. The mission will carry three NASA science instruments to the Moon's near side: the Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA), the Linear Energy Transfer Spectrometer (LETS), and the Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS).
“This latest mission award will help prove that commercial lunar delivery can be rapid, repeatable, and reliable,” CEO Jason Kim said.
Firefly is also using flight data from its first successful lunar landing to refine future Blue Ghost missions and speed up production. The company has its sights set on additional lunar missions to the Moon's far side, the Gruithuisen Domes, and the south pole, using both its Blue Ghost lander and the Elytra orbital vehicle.
In a separate development, Firefly and SSC Space announced Tuesday that they've completed key infrastructure and regulatory milestones for orbital launches from Esrange Space Center in Sweden, with the first launch also targeted for 2028. The companies have finalized core infrastructure at Launch Complex 3C, including the launch control center, payload processing facility, and integration building. They've also advanced regulatory cooperation through a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Swedish National Space Agency and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, building on an existing Technology Safeguards Agreement.
SSC Space also signed a 209 million Swedish kronor agreement with the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration to support satellite launches for the Swedish Armed Forces. Launch Complex 3C will support Firefly's Alpha rocket and expand orbital launch access from mainland Europe.
On the technical side, Firefly shares remain in a longer-term downtrend despite Thursday's advance. The stock is trading 7.5% below its 20-day simple moving average and 21.6% below its 50-day simple moving average—levels that could act as resistance during any rebound. However, it's only 0.2% below the 200-day simple moving average, making the $28-$29 range an important technical level. Momentum indicators are cautious: the moving average convergence divergence (MACD) indicator is below its signal line with a negative histogram, suggesting buying momentum has weakened. Key resistance sits near $34.50, close to the 50-day exponential moving average, while initial support is around $24.00, where buyers previously stepped in.
At the time of publication Thursday, Firefly Aerospace shares were up 1.06% at $28.67.
