Moonshot #33

Lockheed grabs Terran, Redwire nabs Hera, Firefly's Alpha ascends, and everything else happening in the commercial space sector.

Hello Continuum readers and Celestial Citizens,

Welcome back to Moonshot where we will give a bi-weekly rundown of all the private sector space news. If you haven’t already, consider becoming a paid subscriber ($6/month) so you can get past that pesky paywall and read the full Moonshot post!

Nearly a year after opening its 60,000 square-foot satellite manufacturing facility in Irvine, Terran Orbital was acquired by Lockheed Martin. Credit: Terran Orbital

Lockheed Martin & Terran Orbital – After months of will-they-won’t-they, Lockheed Martin is officially acquiring satellite maker Terran Orbital. The $450 million deal translated to Lockheed spending $0.25 per share and, integrally, retiring the company’s debt. As far as the transition goes, Lockheed believes it will be a smooth one. Already owning a third of the firm, Lockheed Martin has worked with Terran Orbital for “more than seven years on a variety of successful missions,” including smallsat systems for the Space Development Agency. Here’s hoping Terran Orbital enjoys its new debt-free life under new management. 

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This edition of Moonshot is brought to you by the Space Resources program at the Colorado School of Mines.

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Redwire Space & Hera Systems – Staying with the acquisition theme, we can also report that space infrastructure firm Redwire announced it would be acquiring Hera Systems, a California spacecraft developer. Redwire, which has had its eyes on more national security contracts, may or may not have been wooed by Hera Systems’ geostationary satellite platform recently selected by the US Space Force for a refueling experiment. While we don’t know the exact financial details of the deal, we do know that, in the words of Redwire CEO Peter Cannito, acquiring a space defense pro like Hera Systems “fits squarely within [Redwire’s] growth strategy.” 

Firefly & L3Harris – Another space collaboration this month comes from Firefly Aerospace and L3Harris, following the recent success of Firefly’s Alpha rocket. Reportedly, L3Harris just contracted up to 20 Alpha launches, or essentially two to four launches per year from 2027 to 2031. Now, this is a defense contractor we’re talking about, so the payloads are currently undisclosed. Alpha is a newer rocket, but a contract from L3Harris means that Firefly is doing something right. That, along with Alpha’s successful launch for NASA last month and its scheduled missions for Lockheed Martin have the Alpha coming for Falcon’s spotlight. 

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This edition of Moonshot is supported by the Open Lunar Foundation. Open Lunar's work sets precedents, creates pathways, and builds projects that enable a peaceful, cooperative lunar presence. Learn more about Open Lunar's work by joining their upcoming events.

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Indra & Deimos – Spanish defense contractor Indra is cementing its interest in the space sector with an acquisition of a satellite system provider – Puertollano-based Deimos. The move follows Indra’s former investment in Spanish satellite operator Sateliot, as well as the firm’s decision to establish a strictly space-related subsidiary, Space NewCo. 

Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana could have its first non-institutional launcher with Spanish company PLD space. Credit: ESA

PLD Space – Clearly, Indra wasn’t the only Spanish company with lofty space goals this month. Spanish reusable rocket provider PLD Space is preparing to break ground on a launch pad located within Europe’s French Guiana spaceport. The site has been abandoned since the retirement of a French rocket Diamant, and PLD Space – along with Isar Aerospace and France’s CNES space agency – intends to breathe new life into the launchpad. According to an announcement made in June, PLD will put 10 million euros ($11 million) into the project, in an effort to establish a new home for its reusable Miura 5 rocket in the fall. If all goes to plan, PLD will be the first non-institutional launcher to use the French Guiana spaceport, joining ESA’s Ariane 6.