The economic development project, dubbed Project Sinatra after Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me To The Moon,” will create 682 new jobs by November 2030 with an average salary of at least $90,000. There are currently 162 employees at the existing Cedar Park headquarters, according to the city.
Cedar Park City Council unanimously approved the agreement May 27. In turn, the city will provide job creation incentives, employee relocation incentives, tenant building improvements and a chamber of commerce membership.
Ben White, the city's economic development director, said the company considered other places to expand but in the end chose Cedar Park.
"We believe Firefly is a special company for Cedar Park, and it's a special company for the United States," White said. "We want to be very thankful that they are growing here and solidifying their roots here in Cedar Park."
Firefly Aerospace will also expand the company to a 45,000-square-foot facility in the Scottsdale Crossing area as part of the agreement.
Tom Markusic, the company's founder and CEO, said he has no doubt the company planted roots in the right place.
“I really think that it’s important for us to not only create jobs, but to create the kind of jobs for when our children graduate from college," Markusic said. "They will want to come back to Cedar Park and live here."
He said the company will build aircrafts that will land on the moon in 2023 at its new building.
In February, the company received a $93.3 million contract from NASA to deliver science investigations and technology demonstrations to the moon in 2023. Last week, Firefly Aerospace announced that it awarded a contract to SpaceX to assist in the lunar landings, according to a company release.
