Firefly Aerospace to Supply $1.3 Billion in Rocket Engines to AST SpaceMobile for Blacklift Rocket

Firefly Aerospace and AST SpaceMobile announced a three-year agreement valued at more than $1.3 billion for rocket engines to power AST SpaceMobile’s new heavy-lift rocket, Blacklift.

Under the agreement, Firefly will deliver 27 Miranda engines and nine vacuum-variant Vira engines for AST SpaceMobile’s first three rockets. Firefly will also provide engineering support and grant AST SpaceMobile a license to manufacture the engines. Firefly retains full ownership of its engine intellectual property.

AST SpaceMobile will pay Firefly in cash and shares of AST Class A Common Stock, with the shares subject to various lock-up periods. The sources do not disclose the cash-stock split.

Blacklift is designed for reusability and can carry up to five BlueBird satellites into low Earth orbit per launch. AST SpaceMobile is targeting late 2028 for the debut launch of Blacklift.

Firefly’s Miranda engine has performed more than 175 hot fire tests for more than 4,200 seconds. The engine has a thrust of 230,000 lbf. Both Miranda and Vira utilize technology scaled from Firefly’s Reaver and Lightning rocket engines.

“This is a bold transformational deal for Firefly, for AST SpaceMobile, and for the space industry,” said Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. “When a company sets out to build its own rocket, the engine is the hardest, highest-stakes decision they make, and AST SpaceMobile chose to partner with Firefly for its most powerful rocket engines.”

“Firefly is one of a few companies in the United States with a proven liquid engine of this scale, making it a scarcity in the industry,” said Abel Avellan, Founder, Chairman and CEO of AST SpaceMobile.

Firefly said the funds will allow it to expand hiring, procure long-lead materials, and add infrastructure, including multiple new test bays in Briggs, Texas, to increase its own launch vehicle production and testing.

Firefly will discuss the agreement during its third quarter 2026 earnings call scheduled for 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.

Sources

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.