NASA announced Wednesday it is joining a chorus of companies pushing for easier access to space, awarding $17.1 million in contracts to three firms developing new launchers tailored for lifting lightweight satellites into orbit.
The deal comes roughly two months after Firefly inked a deal with Lockheed Martin for up to 25 launches in a similar timeframe. The first Alpha launches under this new contract would launch no earlier than 2027.
Launch of a collection of eight CubeSats as part of NASA’s ELaNA 43 (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 43) mission occurred at 9:04 p.m. PDT (12:04 a.m. EDT / 0404 UTC). Wednesday night/Thursday morning.
