Firefly Aerospace has been awarded a significant contract by the U.S. Space Force. The $21.8 million deal will fund a mission to orbit under the military's quick-reaction space program, marking the company's third such award. This contract, announced February 13th by the Space Systems Command, is for a mission named Victus Sol.
The mission will utilize Firefly’s Alpha rocket and is part of the Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) program. This program aims to rapidly deploy satellites for national security emergencies. While details concerning the payload, mission objectives, and launch timeline remain undisclosed by a Space Safari spokesperson, the contract represents a major step forward.
Space Safari, the New Mexico-based office managing the TacRS program, operates under the Space Systems Command. A Space Safari spokesperson stated, “Victus Sol is moving beyond TacRS demonstrations and will be available for operations,” highlighting the program’s progression towards operational military deployments. Firefly CEO Jason Kim added, “This mission will provide the operational capability to have a launch vehicle and space vehicle on standby while we continue to launch other commercial and government missions until we’re called up by the Space Force.”
Firefly previously launched a TacRS mission, Victus Nox, in September 2023, and has another mission, Victus Haze, scheduled for later this year, carrying a satellite built by True Anomaly. The Victus Sol contract was secured through competitive bidding under the Space Force’s Orbital Services Program-4, managed by the Space Systems Command’s Rocket Systems Launch Program.