/sci/ - Science & Math

https://spacenews.com/firefly-aerospace-acquires-spaceflight-inc/

> WASHINGTON — Firefly Aerospace announced June 8 it has acquired Spaceflight Inc., adding its satellite transportation services to its portfolio of launch vehicles and spacecraft.

> In a statement announcing the acquisition, Firefly said acquiring Spaceflight would help it offer “end-to-end” space transportation services, which includes the Alpha launch vehicle, Blue Ghost lunar lander and Space Utility Vehicle transfer vehicle.

> Spaceflight Inc. was known as a leader in arranging launches of small satellites on small launch vehicles or as secondary payloads on larger launch vehicles, deploying more than 460 payloads. Spaceflight had also developed its own series of orbital transfer vehicles called Sherpa, using a mix of chemical and electric propulsion systems.

> AE Industrial Partners (AEI) acquired Firefly Aerospace in 2022 after Max Polyakov, the Ukrainian entrepreneur who acquired the assets of the former Firefly Space Systems out of bankruptcy in 2017, was forced by the federal government to divest his stake. AEI led a $75 million round in Firefly in March 2022 and brought in Weber as chief executive in September.