Watch the Launch

Watch the Launch

FLTA006 (Message in a Booster)

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Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Technology

Low Earth Orbit Space Launch Complex 2W Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA Probability: 90%

Sixth flight of the Firefly Alpha small satellite launcher, launching the demonstration mission for Lockheed Martin's new LM400 satellite bus, which will carry a communications payload. The satellite bus is customizable to support different missions, including remote sensing, communications, imagery and radar Earth observations. It can also support different kinds of orbits and launch configurations.

Updates

Cosmic_Penguin • April 29, 2025, 6:12 p.m.

Launch failure confirmed.


hitura-nobad • April 29, 2025, 1:37 p.m.

Liftoff!


LL2 • April 29, 2025, 12:53 p.m.

Official Webcast by Firefly Aerospace has started


Cosmic_Penguin • April 29, 2025, 12:16 a.m.

Confirmed rescheduling to April 29.


Cosmic_Penguin • April 28, 2025, 2:16 p.m.

Scrubbed for the day.


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

Alpha rocket suffers stage separation anomaly during launch of Lockheed tech demo satellite

A Firefly Alpha rocket left a Lockheed Martin satellite in an orbit lower than planned, or not in orbit at all, after an anomaly during launch April 29. The post Alpha rocket suffers stage separation anomaly during launch of Lockheed tech…

NASASpaceflight

Launch Roundup: Starlink missions fill launch manifest, Biomass and Alpha launch

This week’s schedule includes up to six Starlink launches from Florida and California. Arianespace launched… The post Launch Roundup: Starlink missions fill launch manifest, Biomass and Alpha launch appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Spaceflight Now

Firefly Aerospace to launch Lockheed Martin LM400 tech demo satellite on Alpha rocket from Vandenberg

The mission comes after a delay of more than a month due to poor weather, followed by the NRO taking priority on the Western Range. Liftoff is targeting the opening of a roughly one-hour window that begins at 6:37 a.m. PDT (9:37 a.m. EDT, …

NASASpaceflight

Firefly Alpha set to launch FLTA006 Message In A Booster mission

Firefly Aerospace is preparing its Alpha small satellite launcher for a flight from Vandenberg Space… The post Firefly Alpha set to launch FLTA006 Message In A Booster mission appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

NASASpaceflight

Launch Roundup: China to launch crew, Falcon 9 to launch Bandwagon rideshare

This week, China will launch three taikonauts to the Tiangong space station. SpaceX’s Falcon 9… The post Launch Roundup: China to launch crew, Falcon 9 to launch Bandwagon rideshare appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

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