Investing.com -- Firefly Aerospace Inc (NASDAQ: FLY) shares climbed 3.6% in early trading Wednesday after the company completed a preliminary design review for its NASA lunar drone mission.

The space and defense technology company announced it cleared the design review for its Elytra spacecraft, which will deliver drones built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to the Moon's south pole for the agency's MoonFall mission. The milestone moves the spacecraft toward final design and hardware production.

Firefly's preliminary design review included members from NASA and JPL, who conducted a review of Elytra's structural, thermal, propulsion, avionics, trajectory design, guidance and navigation, communications and control systems, as well as the spacecraft's qualification and environmental test plans. The review confirmed Elytra's design meets mission requirements.

The company will now work toward the spacecraft's final critical design review ahead of hardware production and assembly. The mission is targeted to be ready for launch by late 2028.

"Completing PDR less than four months after contract award is a testament to the speed and rigor Firefly brings to every mission," said Ray Allensworth, Vice President of Spacecraft at Firefly Aerospace.

MoonFall is part of the first phase of the Moon Base, a long-term lunar exploration and infrastructure initiative designed to enable sustained human presence and expanded scientific and commercial activity at the lunar south pole.

After launching, Firefly's Elytra spacecraft will transit from Earth orbit to lunar orbit and deploy the drones above the Moon's south pole. The MoonFall drones will use their high-definition optical cameras and instruments to survey the south pole terrain and map safe landing spots and resources to support future human missions.

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