Military Space

ABL Space, once an emerging contender in the commercial launch industry, is rebranding as Long Wall as it pivots away from launching small satellites to focus on defense applications, including missile defense and hypersonic flight testing.

The company, founded in 2017 in El Segundo, California, initially sought to disrupt the small satellite launch market with its RS1 rocket, a low-cost, rapidly deployable vehicle designed to be transported in standard shipping containers. However, the venture struggled to gain traction, suffering two failed orbital launch attempts in 2023 and 2024. Facing stiff competition from established players like SpaceX and Rocket Lab, as well as financial challenges, ABL ultimately decided to shift gears.

On Feb. 19, founder and CEO Dan Piemont announced in a company blog post that ABL would rebrand as Long Wall, a name inspired by the defensive structures built by ancient Athens to protect against sieges. The company’s focus is developing containerized missile defense systems and target rockets for U.S. military applications.

The contract, announced by the Space Systems Command Feb. 13, is for a mission dubbed Victus Sol that will utilize Firefly’s Alpha rocket. The launch is part of the Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) program, which aims to demonstrate the Space Force’s capability to rapidly deploy satellites during national security emergencies.

Details about the payload, mission objectives, and launch timeline are not being disclosed, according to a Space Safari spokesperson. Space Safari, the New Mexico-based office managing the TacRS program, operates under the Space Systems Command.

“This mission will provide the operational capability to have a launch vehicle and space vehicle on standby while we continue to launch other commercial and government missions until we’re called up by the Space Force,” said Firefly CEO Jason Kim.