SPACE INDEX COMPANIES INSIGHTS SECTORS PRODUCTS NEWS BLOG ANSWERS RESEARCH ABOUT FOR COMPANIES BUILD / 2026.06.04
Firefly Aerospace logo Firefly Aerospace Designs and operates small- and medium-lift launch vehicles, lunar landers, and in-space maneuvering vehicles for defense, civil, and commercial space missions vs Southern Launch Operates two spaceports in South Australia providing orbital launch, suborbital testing, orbital re-entry, and range services for domestic and international customers Southern Launch logo
HEAD-TO-HEAD1 shared sector
Firefly Aerospace Southern Launch
Founded 2014 2017
Headquarters Texas Adelaide, Australia
Type public private
Status operating operating
Employees 800 30
Total funding $12M
Latest round Venture
Sectors Launch Services, Lunar Services, Space Transportation & Logistics Spaceports & Range Services, Launch Services, Suborbital & High-Altitude
Products listed 6 8
Federal contracts
Launches 11 (36%)
Leaders listed Jason Kim, Darren Ma, Shea Ferring Lloyd Damp, Rebecca Darcey, Tori Murray
News mentions 22 6
SHARED SECTORS
FREQUENTLY ASKED

How do Firefly Aerospace and Southern Launch compare?

Both companies work in Launch Services. Firefly Aerospace was founded in 2014 and Southern Launch in 2017.

Which is larger, Firefly Aerospace or Southern Launch?

Firefly Aerospace reports the larger workforce, with 800 employees versus 30.

Which has more launches, Firefly Aerospace or Southern Launch?

Firefly Aerospace leads with 11 tracked launches (36% success rate).

Numbers refresh on every render against the live Space Index database. Federal contract data from USAspending.gov; launches from LaunchLibrary2.