Burnet County’s Rocket Ranch expanding
Central Texas space firm Firefly Aerospace recently landed an $8.2 million grant from the Texas Space Commission to expand and improve its operations in the Lone Star State. Firefly’s grant pie will be split between its headquarters in Cedar Park and its 200-acre manufacturing facility in Briggs in northeast Burnet County.
The $8.2 million was awarded Monday, Feb. 10, after a public meeting of the Texas Space Commission Board of Directors, which allocated a total of $47.7 million to five Texas-based space firms. Firefly’s upgrades are expected to be completed before the end of 2025.
“With the support of the Texas Space Commission, Firefly is expanding our spacecraft production capabilities, creating more high-skilled jobs, and strengthening our collaboration with universities to equip the next generation of aerospace innovators,” said Firefly CEO Jason Kim in a Tuesday media release. “We’re proud to continue growing here in Texas, helping to shape the future of space exploration while fostering the next generation of industry leaders.”
The grant money will be used to expand Firefly’s cleanroom space at its Cedar Park headquarters and increase the testing capacities at its Briggs facility.
The estimated 50 jobs that will come online from the grant will be divided between Cedar Park and Briggs. The 200-acre manufacturing site, often referred to as Rocket Ranch, already employs over 300 people.
Firefly has been in Burnet County since 2014, but the space company has recently built up serious momentum, signing major contracts with NASA to construct landers for a series of moon missions. The first of the missions is currently underway, with Firefly’s lunar lander Blue Ghost in the middle of its trip to the moon’s surface.
The Texas Space Commission was launched by Gov. Greg Abbott in March 2024 with the mission of facilitating and encouraging space industry growth in the state. Firefly’s recent grant was part of the first wave of dollars being doled out by the commission, which was allocated a total of $150 million by the 88th Texas Legislature in 2023, when the TSC was officially formed.
“With the Texas Space Commission, our great state will have a group that is responsible for dreaming and achieving the next generation of human exploration in space,” Abbott said in a media release following the launch of the TSC. “As we look into the future of space, one thing is clear: Those who reach for the stars do so from the great state of Texas.”
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Everyone that is happy about Firefly. Certainly don’t live by it. All this wasted money sure would have been nice to have fixed roads in this area. So when the new quarry comes to Burnet you will understand some of the problems we have near it. Although you will never get to hear the God awful noise we have to put up with. All I want out of them is a cellphone like they have that can communicate at that distance. We can’t even get service under a cell tower. Also how could a company that hasn’t ever had very many successful launches get a contract for a space buggy?
This was a no Brainer on the judge selection. I knew Jones would be it. Just thankful for the two that voted for Gil. The 2 that voted for Jones have been in office way to long. Just as we voted in our national election, we want change. We really need Elon here.