Firefly Aerospace Acquires Space-ng to Expand Autonomous Spaceflight Capabilities

Firefly Aerospace has acquired Colorado-based Space-ng, a developer of AI-powered vision navigation and autonomous guidance technologies, in a move aimed at strengthening its capabilities for future lunar and deep-space missions.

Space-ng's technology played a key role during Firefly's Blue Ghost Mission 1, providing vision-based navigation software that enabled the lander to determine its position and orientation, identify hazardous terrain, and autonomously execute hazard avoidance maneuvers before landing in the Moon's Mare Crisium region.

The acquisition adds Space-ng's software, high-resolution spacecraft cameras, and AI computing hardware to Firefly's portfolio.

The technologies are designed to support applications including onboard optical navigation, rendezvous and proximity operations, docking, and space domain awareness without relying on GPS or other global navigation satellite systems.

Firefly said it plans to integrate Space-ng's capabilities across its Blue Ghost lunar landers and Elytra orbital vehicles, supporting a growing mission pipeline that includes additional lunar missions under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, the NASA MoonFall mission, and a space domain awareness mission for the Defense Innovation Unit.

Firefly CEO Jason Kim said Space-ng's technology demonstrated its value during Blue Ghost Mission 1 and will play an important role in advancing autonomous space operations.

Space-ng co-founder and CEO Ethan Rublee said the acquisition will allow the company's technologies to be deployed across a broader range of missions and vehicles. As part of the transaction, Rublee will join Firefly as Chief Engineer of Software, overseeing the company's spacecraft software development.

Founded in 2024 as a spinout of agricultural robotics company Farm-ng, Space-ng specializes in artificial intelligence, computer vision, autonomous systems, and flight software.

Image Credits: Firefly Aerospace