First a moon lander, now missiles for this local company
By Brent Wistrom – Editor, Austin Inno, Austin Business Journal
Oct 5, 2025
Updated Oct 5, 2025 4:18pm CDT
Central Texas space technologies company Firefly Aerospace said Oct. 5 that it plans to acquire a missile tracking and defense tech company that will further its reach into the realm of military applications.
Firefly (Nasdaq: FLY) said it entered into an agreement to acquire New Jersey-based SciTec Inc. for about $855 million. The tentative deal includes $300 million in cash and $555 million in Firefly shares at $50 a piece. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year.
If the acquisition goes through, SciTec will become a Firefly subsidiary led by SciTech CEO Jim Lisowski.
The deal comes amidst increased tensions with China, which has said its prototype data processing system could detect missile threats anywhere in the world.
President Donald Trump’s proposed Golden Dome, meanwhile, plans to spend at least $175 billion on its own system to be fully operational by the end of 2029. In early October, the Missile Defense Agency extended its deadline to file proposals for Golden Dome projects to provide homeland missile defense capabilities to Oct. 16.
SciTec, founded in Princeton in 1979, develops sensor systems and algorithms that are used in advanced missile defense, surveillance, reconnaissance and other military uses. The missile warning technologies, for example, could be employed as part of proposed layered defense shield project.
“These capabilities significantly enhance our ability to deliver integrated, software-defined solutions for critical national security imperatives, particularly Golden Dome,” Firefly CEO Jason Kim stated.
Firefly has had a high-flying year, taking its stock public, having the first commercial lunar lander — Blue Ghost — successfully reach the Moon and other achievements. But this last week has been a turbulent one for the company.
On Sept. 29, the first stage of its Alpha Flight 7 rocket was destroyed during a test at the company’s facilities near Briggs, Texas, north of Austin. The company said all personnel are safe, and no other facilities were impacted. But, following the news, shares of Firefly Aerospace declined rapidly – around 30% at one point in the week.
This new acquisition could help turn that around. SciTec generated about $164 million in revenue from June 30 last year to June 30, 2025. And it landed a $259 million contract with the U.S. Space Force earlier this year. That deal has the company building cyber-secure ground processing technologies.
SciTech has about 475 employees, and about 90% of them have security clearances.
Firefly itself is no stranger to defense deals. It won three major awards for missions to test its ability to rapidly respond and launch a rocket and payloads on short notice. Earlier this year, it was awarded on contract for its maneuverable Elytra spacecraft as part of a DoD and Defense Innovation Unit project in 2027.
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is serving as exclusive financial adviser and Kirkland & Ellis LLP is serving as legal adviser to Firefly. Baird is serving as exclusive financial adviser and Cooley LLP is serving as legal adviser to SciTec.
Click here for the article source.
