Firefly Aerospace Receives $13 Million NASA JPL Subcontract to Build Aeroshell for SkyFall Mars Mission

Firefly Aerospace has secured a $13 million subcontract from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to manufacture and test the aeroshell for the SkyFall mission to Mars, targeted for a 2028 launch. The mission will deploy three helicopters to perform subsurface mapping and resource prospecting, serving as a precursor to future crewed American missions to the Red Planet. This partnership underscores the increasing reliance on commercial aerospace innovation to deliver specialized hardware for high-stakes planetary exploration.

Firefly Aerospace will utilize its new Gloworks innovation lab and its Rocket Ranch facility in Briggs, Texas, to manufacture, test, and deliver the SkyFall aeroshell, which consists of a backshell and heatshield. The company intends to apply advanced carbon composite technologies derived from its Blue Ghost lunar landers, Elytra orbiters, and Alpha and Eclipse launch vehicles to create the high-strength, lightweight structures required for the mission. After manufacturing, Firefly will perform structural qualification and flight acceptance testing to ensure the hardware can survive the extreme environments of launch, cruise, and Martian entry, descent, and landing before delivery to JPL for final integration.

The SkyFall mission is designed to deploy three heritage Mars helicopters using a specialized "SkyFall Maneuver," a mid-air release technique from an entry capsule that eliminates the requirement for a landing platform. Once deployed, these helicopters will fly to the Martian surface to collect high-resolution imagery and subsurface radar data, specifically scouting for water ice and analyzing the terrain. This mission builds directly on the technological legacy of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter to expand the scope of airborne planetary science and resource prospecting.

Company leadership highlighted that this contract is the first award stemming from the Gloworks lab, which focuses on disruptive space technologies without impacting existing production lines. CTO Shea Ferring stated that Firefly’s expertise in large composite structures for rockets and spacecraft provides a distinct advantage for enabling planetary missions. Furthermore, Ray Allensworth, Vice President of Spacecraft, noted that the company’s ongoing work with NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and the MoonFall mission provides transferable experience that allows Firefly to execute Mars missions with increased speed and affordability.