Firefly Aerospace, Inc., a leading provider of cost-effective and reliable launch vehicles, spacecraft and space services, announced the launch of a new business line dedicated to the supply of rocket engines and spacecraft, as well as other components for the emerging new space industry.
“Our goal in this line of business is to become a tier 1 component supplier for the new space industry,” said Tom Markusic, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. "Our component business model has inherent advantages over businesses that focus on a single (eg rocket motors) or narrow range (eg valves) components."
Firefly will also become a major purchasing partner for other private aerospace companies, helping to lower the barrier to market entry. The component business plan has the advantage that the main customer automatically appears - the Firefly spacecraft and launch vehicles division. As the company attracts external customers, this will enable them to produce more and more of the same components, creating economies of scale to improve production efficiency and reduce costs.
“We initially focused external sales on Firefly rocket engines, which we believe provide the best value for money in the industry. Initial demand was strong as external orders already exceeded the number of engines that Firefly was building for use on its own Alpha launch vehicle, ”said Eric Salwan, Firefly's chief technology officer. He added: “Firefly also has extensive experience in the design and manufacture of carbon fiber composite structures. We are currently actively negotiating the supply of composite components such as composite jacketed pressure vessels (COPVs) to external customers. ”
While Firefly is launching this line of business with in-house developed components, it plans to expand its offerings to include a range of components developed by their partners, creating a component market for the emerging space industry with a full line of products allowing companies to source components from a single source. .
Recall that this week, representatives of Firefly visited the Ukrainian Yuzhmash, where they got acquainted with the facilities of the enterprise and held negotiations with the leadership of the country's main space enterprise.
