Firefly pitches rockets, satellites for Golden Dome

WASHINGTON—Firefly Aerospace is pitching its rockets and orbital platforms for the Pentagon’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative, a projected $175 billion program intended to shield the U.S. from next-generation missile threats.

Speaking Sept. 11 at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s aerospace industry summit, CEO Jason Kim said Firefly’s Alpha rocket could launch missile-defense test targets while its Elytra spacecraft platform could serve as a host for space-based interceptors.

Kim said Alpha could launch payloads for simulated missile threats, supporting Golden Dome’s test campaign. “We plan to contribute to the test program for Golden Dome. We also want to contribute to operational launches. We’ve proven that we do launches on 24-hour notice. That’s something that is going to be beneficial to the Golden Dome program,” he said.

The company is also promoting Elytra, a maneuvering satellite designed for long-duration missions and space-tug operations, as a possible host for interceptors. “It’s got a lot of fuel, ample fuel reserves. It’s got a lot of high thrust and maneuverability. So it’s really well suited for things like Golden Dome,” Kim said. The platform, he added, could enable a future constellation of interceptors: “Golden Dome is going to need a constellation, maybe thousands of these space-based interceptors.”

Golden Dome, one of the Trump administration’s top national security priorities, envisions a multi-layered missile defense architecture that integrates land-based interceptors, sea-based systems and potentially interceptors deployed in orbit. The goal is to defeat ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles during various phases of flight. Congress has already appropriated $25 billion as an initial down payment.

The concept of space-based interceptors is among the most technically ambitious and controversial aspects of Golden Dome. Such systems, still theoretical, would involve kinetic interceptors stationed in low Earth orbit that fire projectiles to ram incoming missiles. Defense analysts say demonstrations are unlikely before 2028.

Firefly’s Alpha rocket, capable of carrying more than 1,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit, launched a mission for the U.S. Space Force in 2023. The company currently flies out of Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and is developing additional launch pads at Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, targeted for 2026, and Sweden’s Esrange Space Center, slated for 2027.

Based in Cedar Park, Texas, Firefly went public on the Nasdaq on Aug. 7. The company gained international recognition in March when its Blue Ghost lander became the first privately operated spacecraft to achieve an upright lunar landing for NASA.

Kim spoke in a fireside chat with Kirk Konert, managing partner of AE Industrial Partners, the private-equity firm that holds a majority stake in Firefly. Konert sits on the company’s board.

Firefly’s pitch underscores how commercial space companies are maneuvering to secure a foothold in one of the in what could become one of the largest U.S. defense programs.