Oct 5 (Reuters) - Space tech firm Firefly Aerospace ( FLY )

will acquire national security technology company SciTec

for about $855 million, the company said on Sunday, just months

after its Nasdaq listing, honing its portfolio at a time when

U.S. military and civil programs are receiving increased

investor interest.

The deal, which will be funded through a combination of

$300 million in cash and $555 million in Firefly shares, is set

to close by the end of the year, Firefly said.

In August, Texas-based firm Firefly

secured a valuation

of $9.84 billion after its shares surged 55.6% in their

Nasdaq debut, marking the largest U.S. listing this year by a

space tech firm.

Firefly's acquisition of Princeton, New

Jersey-headquartered SciTec will enhance its space services by

integrating SciTec's defense software analytics into its

systems, the company said.

SciTec's core capabilities, which encompass missile

warning, tracking and defense, intelligence, surveillance, among

other elements, will bolster Firefly's existing launch, lunar,

and in-space services.

Once the deal closes, SciTec will be operated as a

Firefly unit under Jim Lisowski, its current CEO, Firefly said.

Rising geopolitical tensions and deteriorating

international relations have put a spotlight on space and

defense contractors. The deal would help Firefly strengthen its

position as a space tech firm boosting its lucrative

military-space prospects.

Firefly has come a long way from a tumultuous past,

including a bankruptcy in 2017 and the ouster of its CEO last

year.

In September, Firefly said its Alpha rocket booster

was destroyed

in a testing mishap. The incident was another interruption

to Firefly's business just weeks after it closed an

investigation into the failure of its Alpha rocket, which put a

satellite owned by Lockheed Martin in a shallow orbit in

late April, implying a mission failure.