Firefly completes MoonFall spacecraft propulsion design review

(SpaceEnergy) Firefly Aerospace has completed the preliminary design review of its Elytra spacecraft for NASA's MoonFall mission, clearing a development milestone covering propulsion, thermal systems and lunar transfer operations.

The company announced on 21 October that engineers from Firefly, NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) had reviewed the spacecraft's preliminary design and confirmed that it met mission requirements.

The review covered propulsion, thermal management, structures, avionics, trajectory design, guidance and navigation, communications and control systems, alongside qualification and environmental test plans.

Firefly will now proceed towards the critical design review before hardware production and assembly.

The Elytra spacecraft will transport four JPL-built drones from Earth orbit to lunar orbit before releasing them above the Moon's south pole.

Firefly's previously disclosed mission architecture calls for a 45-day lunar transfer, followed by orbital operations and a braking manoeuvre to deploy the drones approximately 50km above the surface.

The spacecraft's propulsion architecture draws on technologies developed for Firefly's Blue Ghost lunar lander, including the company's Spectre engines.

Firefly received the $75 million MoonFall subcontract in May 2026. The latest announcement represents a subsequent engineering milestone rather than a new contract award.

The mission is targeted to be ready for launch by late 2028.