Firefly Aerospace recently launched its Alpha rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California for the United States Department of Defense. Firefly was given the notice to launch from the United States Space Force and had completed all launch preparations within 24 hours of the notice. At 2:38 am UTC on the 15th of September, Alpha lifted off and placed its payload into orbit just 27 hours after receiving the notice to launch. The payload for the launch was a small CubeSat built by Millennium Space Systems.
This launch demonstrated rapid launch capability for critical United States Department of Defense spacecraft with limited notice.
Who is Firefly Aerospace?
Firefly Aerospace is an American aerospace firm and launch provider founded in March 2017 by Max Polyakov and Tom Markusic. The current Chief Executive Officer is Bill Weber who heads the company of roughly five hundred. Firefly describes themselves as the following;
Firefly Aerospace is an end-to-end space transportation company with launch, lunar, and on-orbit services. Headquartered in central Texas, Firefly is a portfolio company of AE Industrial Partners (“AEI”) focused on delivering responsive, reliable, and affordable space access for government and commercial customers. Firefly’s small- to medium-lift launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles provide the space industry with a single source for missions from low Earth orbit to the surface of the Moon and beyond.
Firefly currently operates its expendable Alpha rocket which can lift up to 1,170 kilograms to low Earth orbit or 745 kilograms to sun-synchronous orbit for an estimated fifteen million United States dollars. The company is also developing a larger rocket to send up to 14,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit. Firefly is also developing the booster for Northrop Grumman's Antares 300.
