Firefly Aerospace logo.
Sep 3, 2021
Firefly Alpha rocket explosion
Firefly Aerospace launched its first Firefly Alpha launch vehicle from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on 3 September 2021, at 01:59 UTC (2 September, at 18:59 PDT).
Firefly Alpha launch
About two minutes into the flight, the “Alpha experienced an anomaly during first stage ascent that resulted in the loss of the vehicle”.
Firefly Alpha rocket description
About Firefly Aerospace
Firefly Aerospace Inc. (“Firefly”), headquartered in Austin, TX, is committed to providing economical and convenient access to space for small payloads through the design, manufacture and operation of reliable launch vehicles. The Firefly team addresses the market's need for flexible access to space with a “simplest/soonest” approach to technology selection. Firefly launch vehicles embody the insights of a diverse design team and leverage commercial off–the–shelf (COTS) components, manufactured by suppliers across the United States, to reduce risk, maximize reliability and minimize development time.
Led by CEO Tom Markusic and a team of space industry veterans, Firefly is on track to deliver a US solution for the 1,000 to 10,000 kg payload class to LEO by 2021 for a starting price of $15M. Firefly is committed to doing its part to restore U.S. leadership in the small to medium launch market, and is establishing international offices and strategic partnerships to effectively serve the global market.
Firefly Aerospace: https://firefly.com/
Images, Video, Text, Credits: Firefly Aerospace/SciNews/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
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