US Air Force Selects Firefly for Orbital Services Program-4 Contract

Digital rendition of the Firefly Alpha rocket. Photo: Firefly

Firefly Black, the national security and civil space subsidiary of Firefly Aerospace, was selected by the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center’s Small Launch and Targets Division as a launch service provider for the Orbital Services Program-4 (OSP-4) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract. Valued at up to $986 million, OSP-4 seeks to provide the Air Force with responsive launch solutions as a follow-on to its successful Orbital Services Program (OSP-3) program.

Firefly Black intends to bridge demand between pure small launch capability and that provided by the National Security Space Launch program, by providing a family of small-to-medium launchers and in-space transportation services.

“Firefly Black is honored to have been selected by the Air Force for this key government space launch acquisition,” said Leslie Kovacs, company President. “Continuing rapid successes in the all-private development of our Alpha launch vehicle, including Stage 2 qualification, a successful quad engine firing of our first stage, and conversion of Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg AFB to support our first quarter, 2020 first launch, underscore our commitment to answer the nation’s call for responsive and reliable small launch services. We applaud the Air Force’s integration of small launchers into its strategic plan to ensure access to space for critical defense payloads.”