Alpha – Spaceflight Now

Firefly Aerospace announces contract with L3Harris for up to 20 launches on Alpha rocket

August 7, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

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.

Firefly launches Alpha rocket on NASA mission

July 2, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

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.

Firefly Aerospace launches its 4th Alpha rocket

December 20, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

Firefly Aerospace launched its Alpha rocket Friday after a launch attempt on Wednesday was scrubbed by bad weather. Liftoff with a payload for Lockheed Martin occurred at 9:32 a.m. PST (1932 UTC).

In parallel with rocket development, Firefly launches lunar lander initiative

April 1, 2020 Stephen Clark

A souped-up version of the Israeli Beresheet moon lander built in Texas could be ready to carry NASA science and technology payloads to the lunar surface before the end of 2022, according to officials from Firefly Aerospace.

Firefly confirms fire during first stage test

January 23, 2020 Stephen Clark

Firefly Aerospace confirmed a “test anomaly” resulted in a small fire on a vertical test stand in Central Texas Wednesday evening. The fire occurred during the first attempt at a full-scale qualification test-firing of a first stage for Firefly’s Alpha small satellite launcher.

Aerojet Rocketdyne, Firefly to collaborate on propulsion

October 28, 2019 Stephen Clark

Firefly Aerospace and Aerojet Rocketdyne have announced a strategic partnership to collaborate on rocket propulsion, an agreement that could lead to Firefly’s use of Aerojet’s AR1 engine in a new medium-lift launcher.

Firefly offering free launch for research and educational payloads

June 18, 2019 Stephen Clark

Firefly Aerospace is asking academic institutions, startup companies and the public to submit ideas for payloads to launch, free of charge, on the inaugural orbital flight of the company’s Alpha rocket next year from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Firefly’s commercial satellite launcher to use Delta 2 pad at Vandenberg

May 2, 2018 Stephen Clark

A commercial rocket under development by Firefly Aerospace will conduct its first orbital test flight in 2019 from a launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California that will become vacant with the retirement of the venerable Delta 2 booster later this year, the company announced Tuesday.

NASA to fly CubeSats on three new commercial launchers

October 16, 2015 Stephen Clark

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.