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Mar 12, 2026 12:00 PM

Firefly Rockets Lockheed Payload To Orbit: Is FLY a High‑Beta Defense Trade?

Firefly Aerospace Inc. (NASDAQ:FLY) shares surged after the company's Alpha rocket successfully delivered a Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT) payload to orbit, putting fresh focus on whether the newly public launch provider is emerging as a high‑beta way to trade defense space spending.

FLY stock is soaring. See the chart and price action here. 

Alpha Flight 7 Mission Success

Firefly stock was up more than 18% in Thursday morning trading after Firefly confirmed its Alpha Flight 7 mission reached orbit and deployed a Lockheed technology demonstrator, marking a clean return to flight for the small‑lift rocket following a prior anomaly and a long string of test‑heavy missions. 

The move extends what has been a volatile run since Firefly's 2025 IPO, with the ...