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Firefly Aerospace announced the acquisition of Space-ng, a developer of AI-powered vision navigation and autonomous guidance systems, to strengthen its spacecraft autonomy capabilities. Space-ng’s software and hardware were successfully used during Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1, enabling real-time hazard detection and autonomous landing on the Moon’s Mare Crisium. The technology allowed Blue Ghost to perform two hazard avoidance maneuvers before a precise touchdown, marking a commercial first. This acquisition aims to support Firefly’s expanding mission portfolio, including multiple lunar and orbital missions under NASA and Defense Innovation Unit contracts.

Space-ng contributes high-resolution spacecraft cameras and AI compute hardware, enabling advanced space domain awareness, optical navigation, and proximity operations without relying on GPS or GNSS. The integration will enhance Firefly’s fleet of lunar landers and orbital vehicles, supporting missions such as NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative and MoonFall. Space-ng’s team, including co-founder and CEO Ethan Rublee, will join Firefly, with Rublee overseeing the company’s spacecraft software suite as Chief Engineer of Software. The acquisition positions Firefly to scale autonomous operations for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Founded in 2024 as a spinoff of Farm-ng, Space-ng brings expertise in artificial intelligence, computer vision, and autonomous systems to Firefly. The company’s vision navigation technology was validated during Blue Ghost Mission 1, demonstrating its ability to autonomously navigate and avoid hazards in real time. Firefly plans to integrate Space-ng’s technologies across its vehicle line, including Blue Ghost landers and Elytra orbital vehicles, to support a growing manifest of lunar and orbital missions. The acquisition also expands Firefly’s software capabilities, reinforcing its role in enabling repeatable access to space.

Headquartered in Littleton, Colorado, Space-ng will be fully integrated into Firefly Aerospace, which will continue offering its vision navigation and autonomous guidance systems to government and commercial customers. Firefly, established in 2017, operates engineering and manufacturing facilities in central Texas, focusing on small- to medium-lift launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles. The acquisition follows Firefly’s historic Moon landing in March 2025 and aligns with its mission to provide reliable and repeatable space access for future exploration and defense applications.