Firefly Aerospace is stepping up its space game with a major expansion of its Rocket Ranch in Briggs, Texas, the company is set to produce rockets faster and cheaper to get a leg up in the budding space transportation industry, according to PRNewswire. The aerospace firm's growth spurt includes doubling their manufacturing space to a sprawling 207,000 square feet and, aiming to streamline production for the Northrop Grumman's Antares 330 and the jointly developed Medium Launch Vehicle (MLV).

On Wednesday, with a snip of a ribbon, Firefly threw open the doors to their beefed-up facilities which now boast two extra test stands and cutting-edge gear that'll have rockets ready to roll off the assembly line at breakneck speed, as reported by KXAN. This isn't just some small upgrade, with new machinery like the state-of-the-art automated fiber placement machine, Firefly is aiming to crank out big-ticket rocket parts up to nine times faster than before.

"After Firefly signed the MLV agreement with Northrop Grumman, we went immediately to work on our Briggs expansion, which has been completed in less than a year's time," Firefly Aerospace CEO Bill Weber reportedly said in a statement obtained by PRNewswire. The company is also putting its new muscle to use through a fresh 7-axis robotic power mill that drills and shapes carbon composite structures with precision, which can handle rocket barrels as massive as 18 feet in diameter.

It's not just Briggs getting all the attention, Firefly's space in Cedar Park, Texas, also got a makeover with new mission operations centers to helm the increasing load of launch and lunar missions, the company is intent on ensuring that it has the infrastructure to match its grand ambitions in space transportation. Firefly, embodying a one-stop-shop for journeys from low Earth orbit to the Moon's surface and beyond considers America's new space age not just a promise, but a reality in the making.