Firefly Aerospace, a leading space and defense technology company, has secured a $176.7 million NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contract to deliver five NASA-sponsored payloads to the Moon s south pole in 2029. The mission will leverage Firefly s composites-intensive Elytra Dark orbital vehicle and Blue Ghost lunar lander to conduct scientific investigations of the region s resources, including hydrogen, water, and minerals, as well as assess environmental factors such as radiation and temperature that could impact future astronauts and lunar infrastructure.

Firefly is honored to support another NASA CLPS task order as a proven, reliable partner for robotic missions to the Moon, said Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. Following our first Blue Ghost mission, this bold team proved we have the right mix of grit, innovation, and dedication to stick the landing and complete all scientific objectives. We aim to continue setting new records with our active production line of Blue Ghost landers.

During Blue Ghost Mission 4, Elytra Dark will first deploy the lander into lunar orbit before serving as a long-haul communications relay. Blue Ghost will then land near the south pole, deploy rovers, and support payload operations with data, power, and communications for more than 12 days.

NASA-sponsored payloads will include the MoonRanger rover, a Canadian Space Agency rover, the Laser Ablation Ionization Mass Spectrometer (LIMS), a Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA), and the Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS). These instruments will investigate lunar composition, resources, navigation, and surface effects from lander plumes.

Post-mission, Elytra Dark will remain operational in lunar orbit for over five years to support Firefly s Ocula lunar imaging service, enhancing lunar mapping, mission planning, and mineral detection. This will be the third Elytra Dark spacecraft in orbit, following launches in 2026 and 2028.

With our growing Elytra constellation and proven Blue Ghost architecture, we re positioned to provide unparalleled lunar communications and imaging services, said Chris Clark, Vice President of Spacecraft at Firefly Aerospace. We also welcome additional government and commercial payload partners for this mission.

Source: fireflyspace.com