Firefly Aerospace (NASDAQ: FLY) received a $75 million subcontract from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to deliver four drones to the Moon's south pole as part of the MoonFall mission, scheduled to launch no earlier than 2028.

The Cedar Park, Texas-based company will use its Elytra spacecraft to transport the drones during a 45-day transit to the Moon. The spacecraft will enter lunar orbit before deploying the drones approximately 50 kilometers above the Moon's south pole.

JPL is building the drones and managing the mission for NASA. The drones will operate for up to 14 Earth days to survey lunar south pole terrain, including permanently shadowed regions, using high-definition optical cameras and instruments. The drones are based on NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter design and will be capable of multiple propulsive flights to explore areas and map potential landing sites and resources such as water ice.

"NASA's MoonFall is an incredible breakthrough mission well aligned with the bold innovation and successful execution that Firefly is known for," said Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace.

The MoonFall mission supports NASA's Moon Base initiative, described as a long-term lunar exploration and infrastructure program designed to enable sustained human presence at the lunar south pole. The mission is part of NASA's Artemis program for future human missions to the Moon.

Firefly's Elytra spacecraft for this mission will be equipped to deliver 1,000 kilograms of drones using systems from the company's Blue Ghost Mission 1, including core avionics, carbon composite structures, and Spectre engines. The company has three additional missions to the Moon through NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative.

Information is based on a company press release statement.