The space business is growing. Shares of Firefly Aerospace jumped higher after the space technology company reported better-than-expected first-quarter earnings.

Firefly is still a smaller, growing company. Sales matter more to investors than earnings at this point.

Firefly company reported sales of $80.9 million on Monday evening, up from $55.9 million a year ago. Wall Street was looking for sales of $77.1 million, according to FactSet.

The operating loss was about $96 million. Wall Street was projecting an $87 million loss.

Firefly shares were up 6.7% in after-hours trading at $35.60.

“Momentum defined Firefly’s first quarter of 2026. We were selected to support the space-based interceptor program under Golden Dome, achieved critical milestones for our Blue Ghost lunar missions, successfully launched Alpha Flight 7, and completed a tactically responsive space demonstration for the U.S. Space Force,” said CEO Jason Kim.

Firefly maintained its sales guidance for 2026 at $420 million to $450 million. Wall Street currently projects about $432 million.

Through Monday trading, Firefly stock is up about 50% this year at almost $34 a share. The company completed its IPO in August. Shares were priced at $45.

Current prices value Firefly stock at about 10 times sales expected over the coming 12 months. Rocket Lab stock trades for about 47 times sales.