Firefly Aerospace Shares Rise 4% on Speculation of 'Golden Dome' Defense Contract
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 16 2026
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Source: stocktwits
- Stock Surge: Firefly Aerospace's shares rose approximately 4% in after-hours trading, driven by speculation regarding potential awards from the U.S. military's 'Golden Dome' missile defense initiative, indicating strong market optimism about future contracts.
- Contract Context: The SHIELD contract, known as the 'Golden Dome' project, aims to provide a multi-layer missile defense system for the U.S.; although there is no official confirmation from Firefly or the Department of Defense, speculation around its involvement has sparked investor interest.
- Launch Plan Update: Firefly announced a Block II configuration upgrade for its Alpha rocket, focusing on enhancing reliability and production efficiency, with the upcoming Alpha Flight 7 next week set to be the last mission using the current configuration, marking a critical milestone in technological advancement.
- Investor Sentiment Shift: Despite Firefly's stock gaining over 20% in the past year, sentiment on Stocktwits has shifted from 'bullish' to 'bearish', reflecting cautious attitudes among retail investors about future performance, while its follower count surged 705% over the past year.
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Analyst Views on FLY
Wall Street analysts forecast FLY stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for FLY is 34.83 USD with a low forecast of 27.00 USD and a high forecast of 65.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
7 Analyst Rating
4 Buy
3 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 28.860
Low
27.00
Averages
34.83
High
65.00
Current: 28.860
Low
27.00
Averages
34.83
High
65.00
About FLY
Firefly Aerospace Inc. is a space and defense technology company. The Company provides comprehensive mission solutions to national security, government, and commercial customers. It has designed, developed, and deployed its vehicles and dynamic spacecraft solutions to support critical customer missions across the space domain. It has a differentiated and scalable platform of Launch and Spacecraft Solutions with flight heritage. Within Launch, it has two offerings built on common technologies: Alpha and Eclipse. Alpha is a United States-based orbital rocket in the 1,000 kilograms class to successfully reach orbit, with four launches completed. Eclipse, a reusable and scaled up version of Alpha. Its Spacecraft Solutions include Blue Ghost lander (Blue Ghost) and Elytra offerings, highlight the heritage of common technologies from its launch vehicles. Blue Ghost Lander and Elytra are highly maneuverable spacecraft enabled by high-performance rocket engine technology.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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