What Happened
Italian Service Provider and US-Based Launch Operator Team Up for European Market
D-Orbit S.p.A., an Italian service provider, has signed a multi-year framework agreement with Firefly Aerospace Inc. to purchase launch capacity of the Firefly Alpha launch vehicle. The agreement grants D-Orbit the status of a preferred launch aggregation partner for the European market, allowing it to purchase, market, and resell launch vehicle capacity. Firefly Alpha is expected to make its first launch in 2019, with frequent launches in 2020 and beyond. The partnership may indicate Firefly’s growing presence in the European launch market and D-Orbit’s expansion of its services to cater to European customers. The agreement was first reported by Firefly Aerospace.