Firefly Aerospace Selects Redwire as Key Mission Partner in Lunar Lander Mission to Launch in 2023

JACKSONVILLE,Ā Fla.Ā (AugustĀ 18, 2021) – Redwire, a leader in mission critical space solutions and high reliability components for the next generation space economy,Ā has been awarded a subcontractĀ fromĀ Firefly Aerospace to provideĀ avionics and critical navigation systemsĀ for their Blue Ghost lunar lander.Ā Firefly AerospaceĀ was awardedĀ aĀ contract to deliver a suite of 10 science investigations and technology demonstrations to the Moon in 2023Ā forĀ NASA’s Artemis program. The award is part of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, in which NASA is securing the service of commercial partners to quickly land science and technology payloads on the lunar surface.

“RedwireĀ is proud to beĀ aĀ keyĀ partnerĀ on this lunar missionĀ that will demonstrate new commercially-developed capabilities to explore theĀ Moon’s surface,ā€Ā said AlĀ Tadros, Chief Growth Officer and Executive Vice President of Space Infrastructure forĀ Redwire.Ā ā€œOur next-generation technology delivers critical capabilities for today’s most advanced lunar missions and exploration objectives.ā€

“We are proud to selectĀ RedwireĀ as a key partner,ā€ said Shea Ferring, Senior Vice President, Spacecraft for Firefly. ā€œTheir expertise in interplanetary missions was anĀ importantĀ factor in choosing them.ā€

Through the contract with Firefly,Ā RedwireĀ is to provide the core avionics for the Blue Ghost lander as well as 10 cameras for the lander and theĀ OpticalĀ Navigation System that Blue Ghost will use for descent and landing on the lunar surface.Ā The camera systemĀ developed for Blue GhostĀ provides situational awareness and payload support includingĀ ultraĀ high-definition video captured throughout the mission.Ā  The optical navigation system includes terrainĀ relative navigation and hazard avoidance computation withinĀ Redwire’sĀ Vision Navigation Processor.

ā€œRedwireĀ is proud toĀ support Firefly in makingĀ this mission possible,ā€ said AdamĀ Biskner, Executive Vice President of Engineering Solutions forĀ Redwire.Ā ā€œRedwire’sĀ expertise in avionics, cameras and visual navigation systems will help enable the success of the Blue Ghost lander’s mission to advance understanding of the Moon’s scientific and economic potential.ā€

The Blue Ghost lander will touch down in MareĀ Crisium, after running some of the onboard experiments and technology demonstrations during transit and orbit. The lander will then operate on the lunar surface for 14 days (one lunar day), collecting data on the lunar surface to prepare for a future human presence on theĀ Moon. The lander is slated to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in 2023.

Building on decades of flight heritage,Ā RedwireĀ provides high performance space camera and navigation systems for human and robotic spacecraft requiring machine vision, optical navigation, science, remote sensing, photogrammetry, inspection, video monitoring, and mission documentation for commercial, civil space and defense applications.Ā RedwireĀ cameras were recently selected for NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload ServicesĀ (CLPS) Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon (PRISM) 1AĀ deliveryĀ to Reiner Gamma as a part ofĀ the Applied Physics Lab’sĀ Lunar Vertex science instrument suite.Ā 

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AboutĀ Redwire
RedwireĀ is a leader in mission critical space solutions and high reliability components for the next generation space economy, with valuable IP for solar power generation and in-space 3D printing and manufacturing. With decades of flight heritage combined with the agile and innovative culture of a commercial space platform,Ā Redwire is uniquely positioned to assist its customers in solving the complex challenges of future space missions.

For more information, please visitĀ www.redwirespace.com.  

About Firefly Aerospace
Firefly is developing a family of launch and in-space vehicles and services that provide industry-leading affordability, convenience, and reliability. Firefly’s launch vehicles utilize common technologies, manufacturing infrastructure and launch capabilities, providing LEO launch solutions for up to ten metric tons of payload at the lowest cost per kg in the small-launch class. Combined with Firefly’s in-space vehicles, such as the Space Utility Vehicle and Blue Ghost Lunar Lander, Firefly provides the space industry with a single source for missions from LEO to the surface of the Moon or beyond. Firefly is headquartered in Cedar Park, TX.Ā 

For more information please see: www.firefly.comĀ 

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Media Contacts:Ā 

ForĀ Redwire:
Austin Jordan  
Austin.jordan@redwirespace.com  
321-536-8632 

For FireflyĀ Aerospace:
Kim Jennett
Kim.jennett@firefly.com

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