Spaceflight, Inc.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founder | Jason Andrews |
| Headquarters | Seattle, Washington , United States |
Area served | Global |
Key people | Curt Blake (SVP and General Counsel) |
| Products | Rideshare missions coordination, SHERPA space tug platform |
| Parent | Firefly Aerospace (since 2023) |
Spaceflight, Inc. is a U.S.-based aerospace firm located in Seattle, Washington, focusing on coordinating rideshare missions for secondary payloads. Established in 2009 by Jason Andrews, with Curt Blake joining shortly thereafter as SVP and General Counsel, the company operated under the umbrella of Spaceflight Industries until its acquisition in June 2020.[1]
Prior to creating Spaceflight, Andrews gained experience at Kistler Aerospace and founded Andrews Space in 1999. Blake contributed expertise from his tenure at Microsoft, Starwave, SpaceDev, and GotVoice.[2]
In 2015, Spaceflight Services combined with Spaceflight Systems (formerly known as Andrews Space) and Spaceflight Networks, consolidating under the Spaceflight Industries brand.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content
Spaceflight Services specialized in acquiring surplus capacity on commercial launch vehicles and reallocating it among various secondary payload customers, offering integration and certification solutions. By grouping multiple secondary satellites into a single launch unit, the company delivered considerable cost efficiencies compared to dedicated launch options.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content
The payloads accommodated ranged from micro-satellites weighing between 1 kg and 300 kg, launched via diverse vehicles such as Antares, Dnepr, Soyuz, and Falcon 9, along with deployments from the International Space Station.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content
A notable innovation by the company is the SHERPA platform—a space tug equipped with propulsion and spacecraft subsystems engineered to serve as a hosted payload carrier and to maneuver secondary spacecraft once in orbit. SHERPA’s design enhances small satellite access to space and supports transporting rideshare payloads to destinations including lunar and Martian orbits.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content
In 2020, ownership of Spaceflight, Inc. transferred from Spaceflight Industries to Mitsui & Co. and Yamasa Co., Ltd., enabling expanded investment into geospatial intelligence capabilities.[1]
That same year marked the introduction of the Sherpa-NG (next generation) initiative, which comprises a series of ESPA-class orbital vehicles—Sherpa-FX, Sherpa-LTC, and Sherpa-LTE—engineered to shorten development cycles while optimizing reliability and mission success.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content
The inaugural next-generation orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) mission, named SXRS-3, was planned for January 2021 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This mission intended to deploy sixteen payloads: fourteen on Sherpa-FX plus two hosted payloads. These platforms feature multiple deployment capabilities, comprehensive telemetry, adaptable interfaces, and cost-effective operations.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content
In 2023, Firefly Aerospace acquired Spaceflight Inc., aiming to strengthen its portfolio in on-orbit service offerings.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content