Firefly Aerospace wins NASA contract for INCUS mission launch

Firefly Aerospace has secured a fixed-price contract under NASA’s Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) programme to launch the Investigation of Convective Updrafts (INCUS) mission. The dedicated Alpha rocket launch will take place from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

Part of NASA’s Earth System Science Pathfinder programme, INCUS consists of three satellites designed to study the formation and behaviour of tropical storms. By analysing storm development, the mission aims to improve climate change models. Each satellite will be equipped with advanced instruments, including high-frequency precipitation radars and a microwave radiometer, to capture real-time data on storm intensity and cloud depth.

Firefly’s Alpha rocket, built for dedicated missions, will deliver the INCUS satellites into precise orbits, enabling immediate scientific observations. This will be Firefly’s third Alpha launch for NASA, following a successful mission last summer and an upcoming launch for NASA’s QuickSounder mission in 2026.

Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace, said: “Firefly offers our customers responsive operations and mission flexibility with launch sites on the East and West Coast of the United States and internationally. We strategically built our one metric ton Alpha rocket to support dedicated missions like INCUS. This allows our customers to place their satellites in the exact orbit they need and use their mission-critical resources to immediately begin conducting research and making advancements in science.”