Firefly inks $1.3 billion deal to supply engines for new AST SpaceMobile ‘Blacklift’ rocket
WASHINGTON: Firefly Aerospace will supply core engines for a new rocket under development by satellite communications firm AST SpaceMobile in a $1.3 billion deal, underscoring a push among satellite companies to secure dependable access to space.
The engine deal, announced on Friday, is a key part of new plans by AST SpaceMobile to develop its own rocket named Blacklift as it races to deploy a satellite constellation for global cellular broadband service and wean itself off a reliance on third-party rockets like SpaceX’s Falcon 9.
