Acquiring defence tech capabilities, Firefly strengthens its space portfolio to capitalise on rising military and civil demand.
Firefly Aerospace has announced plans to acquire national security technology firm SciTec for approximately $855 million, a strategic move to expand its defence and space technology portfolio. The deal, to be funded with $300 million in cash and $555 million in Firefly shares, is expected to close by year-end.
SciTec, based in Princeton, New Jersey, specialises in missile warning, tracking, defence, intelligence, and surveillance software analytics. Integrating these capabilities into Firefly’s existing launch, lunar, and in-space services is expected to bolster the company’s offerings in the growing military-space sector. Following the acquisition, SciTec will operate as a Firefly unit under its current CEO, Jim Lisowski.
The acquisition comes months after Firefly’s Nasdaq debut, which valued the Texas-based firm at $9.84 billion following a 55.6% share surge, marking the largest U.S. space tech listing this year. Rising geopolitical tensions and increasing investor interest in defence and space programmes have created favourable conditions for such expansion.
Firefly’s journey has included significant setbacks, including a 2017 bankruptcy and a recent Alpha rocket testing mishap, which destroyed the booster weeks after a Lockheed Martin satellite launch failure. Despite these challenges, the SciTec deal signals Firefly’s intent to strengthen its position in the lucrative military-space market and diversify its technology capabilities to meet emerging national security needs.
