Firefly’s CEO Jason Kim reacts during the company's IPO at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York City, U.S., August 7, 2025.
Firefly Aerospace jumped more than 34% in its Nasdaq debut on Thursday after pricing shares above its expected range.
The stock closed at $60.35, valuing the company at roughly $8.5 billion. Shares initially opened at $70 under the ticker symbol FLY.
Space technology has gained momentum in recent years as companies such as Elon Musk's SpaceX amass more funding and government contracts. Firefly is the third space company to go public this year after Voyager Technologies and Karman Holdings.
The rocket and lunar lander maker priced shares late Wednesday at $45, above its expected range of $41 to $43, raising $868 million. Earlier this week, Firefly had hiked its range up from the $35 to $39 it initially expected.
Firefly's customers have included a growing list of key defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin and L3Harris, and the company recently received a $50 million investment from Northrop Grumman . Last month, Firefly also won a $177 million contract with NASA.