Has Firefly's Alpha rocket reached orbit?

Yes. Alpha first reached orbit on its second flight on 1 October 2022, and achieved its first fully successful mission on 15 September 2023. It has continued orbital launches since, including Alpha Flight 7 in March 2026.

Did Firefly land on the Moon?

Yes. Firefly's Blue Ghost Mission 1 performed the first fully successful commercial soft landing on the Moon on 2 March 2025, delivering NASA CLPS payloads and operating on the surface for about 14 days.

What rockets and spacecraft does Firefly build?

Firefly builds the Alpha small launch vehicle and the Blue Ghost lunar lander, is co-developing the Eclipse medium launch vehicle with Northrop Grumman, and operates the Elytra on-orbit vehicle line.

Companies

ActiveUnited StatesCommercial

Firefly Aerospace

Alpha rocket and Blue Ghost Moon lander

Founded: 2017
Headquarters: Cedar Park, Texas

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Total launches

Successful

57.1%

Success rate

Upcoming

Overview

Firefly Aerospace is an American space and defense technology company headquartered in Cedar Park, Texas. Its origins trace to Firefly Space Systems, founded in 2014 by propulsion engineer Tom Markusic; after that company's bankruptcy, its assets were acquired and the business was reorganized as Firefly Aerospace in March 2017, with Markusic as founder.

The company is best known for the Alpha small launch vehicle, a rocket in the roughly 1,000 kg class to low Earth orbit, and for Blue Ghost, its CLPS-class lunar lander. Firefly is also co-developing Eclipse, a larger medium launch vehicle, with Northrop Grumman as an evolutionary successor to the Antares rocket, and operates the Elytra on-orbit vehicle line.

In March 2025, Firefly's Blue Ghost Mission 1 achieved the first fully successful commercial soft landing on the Moon, delivering NASA payloads under the CLPS program. The company went public on the Nasdaq under ticker FLY in August 2025 and, as of 2026, remains active, launching Alpha and advancing further lunar and medium-lift programs.

Milestones

Timeline

2014
Company founded
Firefly Space Systems is founded by Tom Markusic and partners to build small launch vehicles.
2017
Reformed as Firefly Aerospace
After the predecessor's bankruptcy, its assets are acquired and the business is reorganized as Firefly Aerospace.
Oct 2022
Alpha reaches orbit
Alpha's second flight successfully reaches orbit, making Firefly one of few US firms to field an orbital rocket.
Mar 2025
Blue Ghost lands on the Moon
Blue Ghost Mission 1 performs the first fully successful commercial soft landing on the Moon, delivering NASA payloads.
Aug 2025
IPO on Nasdaq
Firefly goes public on the Nasdaq under the ticker FLY.