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Firefly Aerospace Wins $75 Million NASA JPL MoonFall Subcontract to Deliver Drones to the Moon’s South Pole

What happened
Based on Firefly Aerospace News · May 26, 2026

Firefly Aerospace secured a $75 million NASA JPL subcontract to deliver four drones to the Moon’s south pole by 2028, supporting the MoonFall mission and NASA’s Moon Base initiatives.

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Firefly Aerospace Wins $75 Million NASA JPL MoonFall Subcontract to Deliver Drones to the Moon’s South Pole
Firefly Aerospace News — Firefly Aerospace
Key points
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MoonFall is part of the first phase of NASA’s Moon Base, a long-term lunar exploration and infrastructure initiative designed to enable sustained human presence and expanded scientific and commercial activity at the lunar south pole.
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Upon launching, Firefly’s Elytra spacecraft will carry the drones over a 45-day transit to the Moon and enter lunar orbit before deorbiting and performing a braking maneuver to deploy the drones approximately 50 km above the Moon’s south pole.
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The MoonFall drones will then land and operate over the course of a single lunar day (up to 14 Earth days) to survey the lunar south pole terrain, including permanently shadowed regions, with high-definition optical cameras and instruments.
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After each drone’s final flight, its survive-the-night payload will continue to operate for several months, marking a sustained U.S.
Key numbers
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Firefly Aerospace has been awarded a $75 million subcontract by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to transport four drones to the Moon’s south pole as part of the MoonFall mission, scheduled for launch no earlier than 2028.
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The mission underscores Firefly’s role in NASA’s lunar exploration efforts, with the Elytra spacecraft entering lunar orbit before deploying the drones approximately 50 km above the Moon’s south pole.
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Firefly Aerospace secured a $75 million NASA JPL subcontract to deliver four drones to the Moon’s south pole by 2028, supporting the MoonFall mission and NASA’s Moon Base initiatives.

Firefly Aerospace has been awarded a $75 million subcontract by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to transport four drones to the Moon’s south pole as part of the MoonFall mission, scheduled for launch no earlier than 2028. The mission is part of NASA’s Moon Base initiative, aimed at establishing a sustained human presence and fostering scientific and commercial activities at the lunar south pole. Firefly’s Elytra spacecraft will carry the drones, leveraging systems proven during the Blue Ghost lunar landing mission.

The drones, developed by JPL, will survey the lunar south pole terrain, including permanently shadowed regions, using high-definition cameras and instruments. Capable of multiple propulsive hops, the drones will explore hard-to-reach areas and map resources such as water ice to support future Artemis program missions. After their final flight, each drone’s payload will continue operating for several months, extending U.S. presence on the Moon.

This subcontract builds on Firefly’s existing portfolio of lunar missions, including three additional Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) missions. The company has completed critical test milestones for Blue Ghost Mission 2 and is advancing work on Missions 3 and 4 while expanding its cleanroom facilities to support increased spacecraft production.

Firefly’s Elytra spacecraft, derived from Blue Ghost Mission 1 systems, is designed to deliver up to 1,000 kg of payloads. The mission underscores Firefly’s role in NASA’s lunar exploration efforts, with the Elytra spacecraft entering lunar orbit before deploying the drones approximately 50 km above the Moon’s south pole.

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