Watch the Launch

Watch the Launch

FLTA001 (Maiden Flight)

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Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Test Flight

Low Earth Orbit Space Launch Complex 2W Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA Probability: 100%

First flight of the new Firefly Alpha small sat launcher developed by Firefly Aerospace. It will carry Firefly’s DREAM (Dedicated Research & Education Accelerator Mission), which includes various payloads like cubesats, personal items, pictures, DNA samples and more to inspire young people to pursue STEM education.

Updates

Nosu • Aug. 27, 2021, 10:26 p.m.

Launch window announced via EDA.


spacevogel • Aug. 19, 2021, 7:30 p.m.

Launch is NET Sep 2.


Cosmic_Penguin • May 4, 2021, 1:40 p.m.

Launch is NET mid-June.


SwGustav • Jan. 29, 2021, 7:38 p.m.

NET March 14th


spacevogel • Nov. 27, 2020, 6:09 p.m.

Launch is NET January 2021


Firefly Alpha

Family:
Configuration:

Firefly Alpha (Firefly α) is a two-stage orbital expendable launch vehicle developed by the American aerospace company Firefly Aerospace to cover the commercial small satellite launch market. Alpha is intended to provide launch options for both full vehicle and ride share customers.

See Details
Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    29.6 m
  • Diameter
    1.82 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    2.21 m
  • Launch Mass
    54.0 T
  • Thrust
    736.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Firefly Alpha
  • Family
    ―
  • Variant
    ―
  • Alias
    ―
  • Full Name
    Firefly Alpha
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $15000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    1000.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    ―
  • Direct Geostationary
    ―
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity
    630.0 kg

Firefly Aerospace

Firefly Aerospace

(FA)

CEO: Peter Schumacher Founded: 2014 Successes: 4 Failures: 3 Pending: 7

Agency Type:

Firefly Aerospace is an American private aerospace firm based in Austin, Texas, that develops small and medium-sized launch vehicles for commercial launches to orbit.

INFO WIKI
SpaceNews

Firefly Alpha failure blamed on premature engine shutdown

Firefly Aerospace said Sept. 5 its first Alpha rocket failed when one of its first-stage engines shut down seconds after liftoff.

Spaceflight Now

Firefly’s Alpha rocket explodes on inaugural test launch

The first test flight of Firefly Aerospace’s privately-developed Alpha small satellite launcher ended in a fiery explosion soon after liftoff Thursday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Spaceflight Now

Firefly set for inaugural test launch from Vandenberg

The first test flight of Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha launch vehicle could take off as soon as Thursday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The four-hour launch window opens at 6 p.m. PDT (9 p.m. EDT) Thursday, or 0100 GMT Friday.

SpaceNews

Firefly Alpha explodes during first launch

Firefly Aerospace’s first launch of its Alpha rocket ended in failure when the rocket exploded two minutes after liftoff Sept. 2

NASA Spaceflight

Firefly Aerospace’s maiden flight of Alpha launch vehicle ends in failure

Firefly Aerospace is set to perform the first orbital flight of their small satellite launch vehicle, Alpha. The launch, designated as FLTA001, is currently targeted for no earlier than 6:00 PM PDT on September 2 (01:00 UTC on September 3)…

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Space Launch Complex 2W


Long March 6A
Success
18 hours, 30 minutes ago
Yaogan 40 Group 04
Launch Complex 9A - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

3 Chinese reconnaissance satellites of unknown purposes, officially reported as for "Electromagnetic environment probing".


Long March 8A
Success
1 day, 13 hours ago
SatNet LEO Group 26
Commercial LC-1 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group.…


Kinetica 1
Success
4 days, 23 hours ago
9 satellites
Launch Area 130 - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Share-ride of 9 commercial Earth observation and technology demonstration satellites to SSO, details TBD.


Falcon 9
Success
5 days, 1 hour ago
Starlink Group 15-27
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 27 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 2D
Success
5 days, 16 hours ago
PIESAT-2 13-16
Launch Complex 9 - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

4 X-band synthetic-aperture radar Earth observation satellites for the Chinese Earth observation satellite company PIESAT.


Electron
Success
5 days, 23 hours ago
Owl By The Dozen (StriX Launch 12)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company Synspective.


Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat-M
Success
1 week ago
Glonass-K1 No. 20 (?)
43/3 (43L) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Note: Satellite serial number and Cosmos designation not confirmed. Glonass-K are the third generation of satellite design for GLONASS satellite n…


Kuaizhou 11
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
SpaceTY-51 & 52
Launch Area 95A - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

2 Earth observation radar satellites built by the Chinese satellite manufacturer SpaceTY.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
USSF-259
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

USSF-259 is a classified mission for the United States Space Force. It is possibly a batch of classified LEO satellites based on SpaceX’s Starshield …


Long March 12
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
SatNet LEO Group 25
Commercial LC-2 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group.…