Firefly inks $1.3 billion deal to supply engines for new AST SpaceMobile 'Blacklift' rocket

What happened

Firefly Aerospace agreed to supply engines for AST SpaceMobile’s planned Blacklift rocket in a $1.3 billion deal. Firefly will provide 27 Miranda engines and nine Vira engines for the first three rockets, and AST receives a license to eventually make the engines itself. AST targets a first launch in late 2028.

Confirmed

Global impact / market context

The contract gives Firefly a large planned supply role while AST seeks to reduce reliance on outside rocket providers. If Blacklift is developed and launched on schedule, bringing engine production in-house could give AST greater control over satellite launch access, but it also makes the company responsible for a complex rocket program.

Analyst inference

The agreement links Firefly’s engine business to AST’s satellite deployment plans: successful rocket development could create a route to orbit for AST’s BlueBird satellites, while delays could postpone that deployment and prolong reliance on third-party launches. The article describes late 2028 as an ambitious target, not a guaranteed date.

Analyst inference

What to watch

1. Watch for progress toward the targeted late-2028 first launch, since schedule delays could defer AST’s plan to use Blacklift to deploy its BlueBird satellite constellation. Analyst inference
2. Track whether Firefly delivers the specified engines for the first three rockets; the deal also gives AST a license to eventually manufacture those engines itself. Confirmed
3. Look for further details on AST’s plans to build and reuse Blacklift, which is designed to carry up to five BlueBird satellites per launch. Confirmed

Evidence

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