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2h ago

Firefly Completes Expanded ISO Class 8 Cleanroom to Quadruple Spacecraft Output

The addition accelerates Firefly’s ability to meet NASA and national security contracts by speeding final spacecraft integration ahead of a planned early‑2027 lunar launch.

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Firefly Aerospace Inc. opened its expanded cleanroom at the company's headquarters in Cedar Park on Sept. 22. Firefly, with help via funding from the state and city, quadrupled their cleanroom capabilities as it readies for its next moon mission.
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Overview

  • Firefly held a ribbon‑cutting and began certifying the new ISO Class 8 cleanroom on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, which quadruples its controlled manufacturing space and lets the company run assembly lines for up to 12 lunar landers and orbital vehicles at once.
  • The expansion was financed primarily with an $8.2 million grant from the Texas Space Commission plus roughly $1 million in incentives from the City of Cedar Park.
  • The company is finishing final integration on vehicles for Blue Ghost Mission 2 with work due in the fourth quarter and a planned early‑2027 launch while scaling production to fulfill five additional Blue Ghost/Elytra lunar task orders and two Defense Innovation Unit spacecraft contracts.
  • State and local leaders framed the project as an early delivery from the SEARF program meant to retain and grow aerospace jobs in Central Texas as other major firms expand operations in the region.
  • Firefly will move completed hardware into the new cleanroom for final work in the coming weeks, but the company cautions that schedule slips, launch failures, and growth management risks could affect delivery of its backlog.