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Satellite Maker Licenses Firefly Rocket Engines

The $1.3 billion deal supports AST SpaceMobile's Blacklift rocket, with flights projected for late 2028.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Space

Isometric editorial illustration of a single upright rocket engine bell on a concrete test stand over flat open terrain, representing a propulsion supply deal.
Firefly Aerospace agreed to supply rocket engines and license its design to AST SpaceMobile in a $1.3 billion deal supporting the Blacklift rocket. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Firefly Aerospace agreed to supply rocket engines and license its engine design to AST SpaceMobile in a deal worth more than $1.3 billion over three years. The agreement covers 36 engines for AST SpaceMobile's first three rockets, including 27 Miranda engines and nine Vira engines, plus engineering support. This is an announced agreement; the rockets it supports are not yet flying.

Why it matters

AST SpaceMobile is building its own heavy-lift rocket, Blacklift, rather than relying solely on outside launch providers, and this deal supplies the propulsion for that effort. The license lets AST SpaceMobile build the engines itself at a new U.S. plant, a move that signals how commercial satellite operators are vertically integrating into launch hardware.

The announced package covers 36 engines split into 27 Miranda engines and nine Vira space-configured variants, with a total value above $1.3 billion. Blacklift is designed to be reusable and to carry up to five BlueBird satellites per launch, though no test flight results are reported in the source.

The players

Firefly Aerospace

A U.S. launch company building the Miranda and Vira rocket engines and offering engineering services to launch customers.

AST SpaceMobile

A satellite company building a space-based cellular broadband network with its BlueBird satellites, now pursuing its own heavy-lift Blacklift rocket.

The details

Firefly will supply the engines, provide engineering support and license its design so AST SpaceMobile can build the engines itself at a new U.S. plant. Firefly will use the funds to hire workers and build new test bays in Briggs, Texas, expanding its capacity to produce and test engines for the program. Blacklift is intended as a heavy-lift launch vehicle capable of carrying multiple BlueBird satellites at once, which is the central reason AST SpaceMobile wants its own rocket.

Timeline

  1. Friday, November 6, 2026: Firefly and AST SpaceMobile announced the engine deal.

  2. Late 2028: AST SpaceMobile expects Blacklift flights to begin.

The Tech Race

Satellite operators are increasingly moving toward owning launch capacity, and AST SpaceMobile's Blacklift plan follows that pattern. The Firefly deal positions its engine line as a supplier to a customer that intends to build its own rockets.

The deal does not change anything for consumers yet, since the Blacklift rocket and its engines are not flying. Its practical effect will appear only when AST SpaceMobile's satellites reach orbit on these launches, with first flights projected for late 2028.

The takeaway

The key trajectory is satellite operators building their own heavy-lift capacity rather than depending only on outside launch providers. Watch for the first Blacklift flight, which AST SpaceMobile projects for late 2028, as the test of whether this plan delivers.

Further reading

For context on the broader push into launch hardware, see the latest Space coverage.