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18h ago

Firefly Wins PDR Contract to Design Elytra Deorbit System

The design review could let the company compete to build and fly a spacecraft that approaches and removes defunct satellites, a step that would support U.S. orbital debris priorities.

Firefly’s Elytra spacecraft
Image of Firefly Aerospace's Elytra Dawn spacecraft. Image: Firefly Aerospace

Overview

  • Firefly announced a preliminary design review contract with the Defense Innovation Unit and Space Development Agency to develop an Elytra mission concept for satellite deorbit services.
  • Completing the PDR would make Firefly eligible to compete for later work such as building the vehicle, arranging launch, and operating the deorbit mission, but it does not guarantee those awards.
  • Firefly says Elytra would launch to low Earth orbit, perform rendezvous and proximity operations to inspect a client object, and then carry out controlled deorbiting.
  • The company also reports it is in spacecraft integration and test for a separate DIU space domain awareness tasking no earlier than 2027 and that core flight structures are complete.
  • The work fits White House and Pentagon interest in removing aging satellites to cut collision risk, and successful commercial deorbit services could change how operators plan end-of-life disposal and how the military buys removal missions.