CEDAR PARK, TX, Aug 20, 2026 – NASA has awarded Firefly Aerospace a spacecraft processing operations contract covering payload processing facilities and services for missions launching from Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in California.
The contract centers on Firefly’s payload processing facility (PPF), 0.5 miles from space launch complex 2, which is equipped with an ISO 8 cleanroom and handles storage, fueling, and checkouts of small and medium-size payloads and hypergolic spacecraft. The facility includes a storage area, control room, workspace, and airlock, and it supports government and commercial space payloads.
“Firefly is operating one of the few commercial payload processing facilities supporting West Coast missions, and we’re excited to offer this as a commercial service to our partners at NASA. This capability helps alleviate critical bottlenecks in the industry and accelerates the timeline between payload arrival and liftoff for government and commercial customers,” said Adam Oakes, vice president of Launch at Firefly Aerospace. “Reliable access to space depends on more than rockets – it depends on the infrastructure that gets payloads ready to fly, and our ready-to-use procession and fueling facility is filling that void.”
Under the contract, Firefly can provide payload processing, fueling, integration, and encapsulation for NASA missions ahead of launch. The award adds to Firefly’s existing NASA agreements, which include the Quicksounder and INCUS satellite missions set to launch on Firefly’s Alpha rocket.
Source: Firefly Aerospace
About Firefly Aerospace
Firefly Aerospace, headquartered in Cedar Park, TX, develops launch vehicles, lunar landers, and in-space transport systems for commercial and government clients in the aerospace and defense sectors. Founded in 2017, the company provides small- and medium-lift rockets, lunar lander missions, and satellite deployment support for orbital and deep-space operations. Its customers include government space agencies, defense organizations, and commercial satellite operators.
