Boeing-Lockheed JV’s Rocket Launches NRO National Security Payload

SpaceX has developed into a major contractor supporting U.S. military and intelligence agencies, demonstrating the need of national security organizations for commercial partners that could quickly develop and launch classified satellites. The Elon Musk-founded rocket company received a potential $1.8 billion classified contract from the U.S. government in 2021, according to documents viewed by WSJ.

Firefly Aerospace has been qualified to compete for task orders under a potential 10-year, $700 million contract to provide its Alpha rocket to launch small satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office. The company will serve as a launch service provider under the Streamlined Launch Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity Contract to deploy NRO satellites to low Earth orbit from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Firefly Aerospace closed the third tranche of its Series C Funding round, bumping the valuation of the end-to-end space transportation company to $1.5 billion. It has raised around $300 million since February this year. During the round, Mitsui & Co. and other new investors joined existing investors led by AE Industrial Partners, Firefly Aerospace said Friday.