Firefly wins $13 million NASA JPL subcontract for Mars mission aeroshell
Firefly Aerospace will build the aeroshell for NASA JPL's SkyFall Mars helicopter mission under a $13 million subcontract.
what happened
Firefly Aerospace says NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory awarded it a $13 million subcontract to manufacture, test, and deliver the aeroshell, comprising the backshell and heatshield, for NASA's SkyFall mission to Mars. The company will build the carbon-composite structure at its Gloworks lab and Rocket Ranch facility in Briggs, Texas, before delivering it to JPL for further testing ahead of a targeted late-2028 launch. SkyFall will deploy three heritage Mars helicopters using a mid-air release technique during descent.
why it matters
The award gives Firefly a foothold in deep-space hardware manufacturing beyond its launch-vehicle and lunar-lander business, diversifying its NASA relationship beyond Blue Ghost. It is a modest subcontract by dollar value, not a mission-prime role, but it is a discrete, dated commercial contract worth noting for a company diversifying its NASA business.
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- Firefly Aerospace, NASA
- Category
- contract
- Impact
- noise
- SNR
- 5 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-07-07
- Published
- 2026-07-08 10:03 UTC