Investors want to sell an aerospace company with Ukrainian roots for $1.5B.

Investors in the Ukrainian-American manufacturer of rockets and lunar landing modules, Firefly Aerospace, are considering selling it for about $1.5B. Investors including the American private investment company AE Industrial Partners are working on strategic options for Firefly.

However, the company, which is expected to attract interest from private equity firms and peers in the space industry, may yet abandon the sale. AE invested $75M in Texas-based Firefly in a Series B funding round in 2022. In November 2023, the company made the next investment and backed the company in deals, including the 2023 acquisition of Spaceflight Inc., a satellite developer and launch services broker.

It should be noted that the single-use Firefly Alpha rocket has contracts to launch satellites for the US Department of Defense and NASA and commercial satellite operators. Firefly also plans to launch its Blue Ghost lunar lander on a flight to the moon this year in conjunction with NASA.