WASHINGTON — Firefly Aerospace announced Oct. 5 it plans to acquire defense contractor SciTec for approximately $855 million through a combination of $300 million in cash and $555 million in Firefly shares issued to SciTec owners at a price of $50 per share.
The deal marks an expansion into the defense sector for Firefly, a space technology company that has been building its capabilities across launch services and lunar exploration. Based in Cedar Park, Texas, Firefly develops launch vehicles, lunar landers and in-space transportation vehicles for commercial and national security missions. The company went public on the Nasdaq on Aug. 7.
Expected to close by year end 2025 subject to regulatory approvals, the acquisition is intended to expand Firefly’s footprint in the defense market, where Firefly is trying to capture opportunities in the Golden Dome program. SciTec is a software and data processing specialist focused on remote sensing, missile defense, space domain awareness, and autonomous command and control systems.
The Golden Dome program is a Trump administration initiative to build a missile defense shield through advanced space-based detection and tracking systems.
SciTec, headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, operates a software application development facility in Boulder, Colorado, focused on specialized missile detection software. The company employs about 475 employees, most of whom hold security clearances.
Firefly said SciTec generated revenues of approximately $164 million for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2025, mostly from defense and intelligence contracts.
SciTec has secured major contracts with the U.S. Space Force for next-generation missile warning data systems that leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning.
The U.S. Space Force in May awarded SciTec a $259 million contract to develop ground system software for military missile-warning satellites under a program called Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution (FORGE), which seeks to build a government-owned ground system for missile warning satellite command and control. SciTec had previously secured other deals for FORGE, including a $272 million contract for missile-warning data processing applications.
The FORGE program is intended to replace aging ground infrastructure that supports the military’s constellation of missile warning satellites, which provide early detection of ballistic missile launches globally.
Once the deal is finalized, SciTec will operate as a Firefly subsidiary led by Jim Lisowski, current CEO of SciTec, who will report to Firefly’s CEO Jason Kim.
Kim said integrating SciTec’s software and data capabilities will “significantly enhance Firefly’s ability to deliver comprehensive, software-defined solutions for critical national security missions, especially in support of the Golden Dome missile defense program.”
The transaction comes as space technology companies increasingly seek to diversify their revenue streams by pursuing defense contracts. The Golden Dome program, projected to cost hundreds of billions of dollars over its lifetime, has attracted significant interest from commercial space firms.
At an industry event last month, Kim pitched Firefly’s Alpha rocket as an asset that could be tapped to launch missile-defense test targets, and said the company’s Elytra spacecraft platform could serve as a host for space-based interceptors.
“SciTec is well positioned to provide the fire control and common ground elements for Golden Dome,” Kim said Oct. 5 during a webcast presentation announcing the acquisition.
Firefly and SciTec, he said, “can launch and deliver space-based interceptors, launch surrogate targets and hypersonic tests, and integrate data processing from a network of sensors.”
Alpha rocket grounded
At the start of the webcast, Kim said the company is working to return its Alpha launch vehicle to flight. The rocket is currently grounded after the first stage booster for its upcoming Flight 7 mission was destroyed in an explosion during ground acceptance testing at the company’s Briggs, Texas, facility Sept. 29.
“I have full confidence in our Alpha team to return to flight safely,” Kim said. “We will have more information to share in the weeks ahead, and we’ll provide a go-forward plan for Alpha in a separate update.”
This testing mishap came shortly after Alpha was cleared by the Federal Aviation Administration to resume launches following a failure during Alpha Flight 6 in April 2025, when the vehicle broke apart shortly after stage separation. The booster destroyed in the test was intended for a Lockheed Martin payload demonstration, and the grounding is expected to delay upcoming missions.
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