https://twitter.com/firefly_space/status/1798342399057355186QuoteBig news ahead for the Firefly team. We're proud to continue our partnership with @LockheedMartin, launching 25 missions on our Alpha rocket through 2029. Under the new agreement, the next Lockheed Martin mission will fly on Alpha FLTA006 later this year.https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-announces-multi-launch-agreement-with-lockheed-martin-for-25-alpha-launches/QuoteJune 5, 2024Firefly Aerospace Announces Multi-Launch Agreement with Lockheed Martin for 25 Alpha LaunchesCedar Park, Texas, June 5, 2024 – Firefly Aerospace, Inc., an end-to-end space transportation company, today announced it signed a multi-launch agreement with Lockheed Martin for 25 launches on Firefly’s Alpha rocket through 2029. This agreement commits Lockheed Martin to 15 launch reservations and 10 optional launches.“Firefly is honored to continue this partnership with Lockheed Martin and appreciates their confidence in our rapid launch services to support their critical missions for years to come,” said Bill Weber, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. “The Firefly team has scaled up Alpha production and testing and significantly streamlined our launch operations to fly Alpha more frequently and responsively. This allows us to continue delivering the one metric ton rocket the industry is demanding.”Under the agreement, Alpha will launch Lockheed Martin spacecraft into low-Earth orbit from Firefly’s facilities on the west and east coast. The first mission will launch on Alpha flight 6 (FLTA006) from Firefly’s SLC-2 launch site at the Vandenberg Space Force Base later this year. The mission will be conducted as another responsive space operation that includes transporting the payload fairing to the launch pad, mating it to Firefly’s Alpha rocket, and completing final launch operations within hours of the scheduled liftoff.“Our customers have told us they need rapid advancement of new mission capabilities,” said Bob Behnken, Director, Ignite Technology Acceleration at Lockheed Martin Space. “This agreement with Firefly further diversifies our access to space, allowing us to continue quickly flight demonstrating the cutting-edge technology we are developing for them, as well as enabling our continued exploration of tactical and responsive space solutions.”Built with lightweight carbon composites and patented propulsion technologies, Firefly’s Alpha rocket provides low-cost launch services for satellites up to 1,030 kg and supports the growing demand for responsive space missions when and where customers need to fly.
Big news ahead for the Firefly team. We're proud to continue our partnership with @LockheedMartin, launching 25 missions on our Alpha rocket through 2029. Under the new agreement, the next Lockheed Martin mission will fly on Alpha FLTA006 later this year.
June 5, 2024Firefly Aerospace Announces Multi-Launch Agreement with Lockheed Martin for 25 Alpha LaunchesCedar Park, Texas, June 5, 2024 – Firefly Aerospace, Inc., an end-to-end space transportation company, today announced it signed a multi-launch agreement with Lockheed Martin for 25 launches on Firefly’s Alpha rocket through 2029. This agreement commits Lockheed Martin to 15 launch reservations and 10 optional launches.“Firefly is honored to continue this partnership with Lockheed Martin and appreciates their confidence in our rapid launch services to support their critical missions for years to come,” said Bill Weber, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. “The Firefly team has scaled up Alpha production and testing and significantly streamlined our launch operations to fly Alpha more frequently and responsively. This allows us to continue delivering the one metric ton rocket the industry is demanding.”Under the agreement, Alpha will launch Lockheed Martin spacecraft into low-Earth orbit from Firefly’s facilities on the west and east coast. The first mission will launch on Alpha flight 6 (FLTA006) from Firefly’s SLC-2 launch site at the Vandenberg Space Force Base later this year. The mission will be conducted as another responsive space operation that includes transporting the payload fairing to the launch pad, mating it to Firefly’s Alpha rocket, and completing final launch operations within hours of the scheduled liftoff.“Our customers have told us they need rapid advancement of new mission capabilities,” said Bob Behnken, Director, Ignite Technology Acceleration at Lockheed Martin Space. “This agreement with Firefly further diversifies our access to space, allowing us to continue quickly flight demonstrating the cutting-edge technology we are developing for them, as well as enabling our continued exploration of tactical and responsive space solutions.”Built with lightweight carbon composites and patented propulsion technologies, Firefly’s Alpha rocket provides low-cost launch services for satellites up to 1,030 kg and supports the growing demand for responsive space missions when and where customers need to fly.
NET October 15 - Elytra Mission 1: NRO-X: FANTM Ride, Undisclosed US Government primary payloads, commercial rideshare payloads - Firefly Alpha (FLTA006) - Vandenberg SLC-2W
Quote from: Salo on 07/04/2024 12:16 amNET October 15 - Elytra Mission 1: NRO-X: FANTM Ride, Undisclosed US Government primary payloads, commercial rideshare payloads - Firefly Alpha (FLTA006) - Vandenberg SLC-2WSkyrocket.de also lists Elytra M1 (FANTM-RiDE) as the next Firefly launch:https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/firefly.htmMore on Elytra M1:NRO to conduct responsive space mission with Firefly and XtentiIs this NRO mission executed by Lockheed Martin? Or will it be on a later launch, not FLTA006?
Firefly Alpha flights 6 and 7 are coming up soon. Flight 6 is a commercial mission for Lockheed Martin, and Flight 7 is the first Elytra flight for the NRO. Elytra is a kind of space tug.
https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/7575QuoteLockheed Martin Demo 1Launch TimeNET 3rd Quarter 2024
Lockheed Martin Demo 1Launch TimeNET 3rd Quarter 2024
Mission DetailsMission Name: Alpha FLTA006Mission Type: Dedicated Commercial LaunchCustomer: Lockheed MartinVehicle: Alpha FLTA006 RocketLaunch Site: Firefly SLC-2, Vandenberg Space Force Base, CALaunch Date: 2024Mission SummaryAlpha FLTA006 is the second mission Firefly is launching for Lockheed Martin and the first of 25 additional missions as part of Firefly’s new multi-launch agreement with Lockheed Martin. The mission will be conducted as another responsive space operation that includes transporting the payload fairing to the launch pad, mating it to Firefly’s Alpha rocket, and completing final launch operations within hours of the scheduled liftoff.Read MorePayloadFirefly will launch a Lockheed Martin spacecraft into low-Earth orbit. More details to come.
Launch vehicle communication for Flight 6 of Fireflys Alpha rocket.
What's TacSat, you ask?It's a special tech demo we built that will help advance the future of global military and commercial communications on orbit in the near term.
SAT-LOA-20240315-00057 Update Letter 4.29.2024QuoteThe targeted launch date of the Elytra-1 mission is now October 15, 2024.
The targeted launch date of the Elytra-1 mission is now October 15, 2024.
NET October [1]1545-EX-ST-2024QuoteLaunch vehicle communication for Flight 6 of Fireflys Alpha rocket.
Firefly's website indicates that [Flight 7] has slipped to 2025:https://fireflyspace.com/missions/elytra-mission-1/
Firefly Raises $175M Series D, Aims For 2025 LaunchNovember 13, 2024[...]The next Alpha rocket will launch sometime early in 2025, Kim said, on a mission for Lockheed Martin, originally expected before year-end. It’s not clear what’s behind the hold-up, but Kim said, “We want to make sure that they have 100% success on their launch.”[...]
Lockheed Martin’s Newest Technology Demo for Space Connectivity Is Ready for LaunchDecember 9, 2024Lockheed Martin’s newest technology demonstration, called the Tactical Satellite (TacSat), is complete and ready for launch in 2025 aboard a Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket.TacSat is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance spacecraft with a mission to prove specialized sensing and communications capabilities on orbit. The satellite will participate in exercises next year that highlight cross-domain kill-web connectivity, enabling timely execution of tactical space missions.[...]What’s On Board?In an increasingly complex battlespace, infrared sensing can be a decisive edge providing more complete situational awareness for allied forces.TacSat will host a proven Lockheed Martin infrared sensor on board that brings previously developed technology to space for the first time. This sensor produces high quality imagery and it can interface with federated Battle Management Command & Control (BMC2) combat systems to provide joint forces with a comprehensive view of threats.The satellite will also feature Lockheed Martin’s first 5G.MIL® payload on orbit. This provides cellular-like networking for military space assets, making satellite constellations more resilient. It also helps enable seamless connectivity with tools in the air, at sea and on land.The power of proliferated connection and influx of actionable data this technology brings will strengthen our customers’ ability to stay ahead of threats on the horizon.[...]Having successfully completed rigorous environmental testing earlier this summer, TacSat has completed its final checkouts at Lockheed Martin’s Littleton, Colorado, campus. Next up on its road to launch, the satellite will ship out to its launch site in California for final processing ahead of liftoff in 2025.
According to firefly’s current CEO then next alpha launch will be LM400 (not Tacsat) net Q1 2025https://open.spotify.com/episode/3GKK9ksun6Jib6zQOiZOkT?si=aamnty-vTaG_7eScJtkW9A&t=797&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A2sil2NBzcsgkPKQjgKIqjM
Quote from: the_big_boot on 01/25/2025 10:30 pmAccording to firefly’s current CEO then next alpha launch will be LM400 (not Tacsat) net Q1 2025https://open.spotify.com/episode/3GKK9ksun6Jib6zQOiZOkT?si=aamnty-vTaG_7eScJtkW9A&t=797&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A2sil2NBzcsgkPKQjgKIqjMIsn't that the same? LM400 is a new satellite bus by Lockheed Martin, and TacSat a Lockheed Martin tech demo mission.
TacSat, a compact spacecraft about the size of a mini-fridge, is built on a Terran Orbital Zuma bus
This STA is necessary to authorize launch vehicle communications for Fireflys Alpha launch mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base SLC-2. This includes a suborbital first stage and an orbital second stage. All downrange Earth stations are receive-only.Operation Start Date: 04/02/2025Operation End Date: 10/02/2025
[LM400 demo] will be FLTA006: https://fireflyspace.com/missions/alpha-flta006/QuoteAlpha FLTA006 is the second mission Firefly is launching for Lockheed Martin and the first of Firefly’s new multi-launch agreement with Lockheed Martin that includes up to 25 missions over the next five years. This mission will launch Lockheed Martin’s LM 400 tech demo to prove out the risk-reduction and pathfinding efforts the company has done for its mid-sized, multi-mission satellite bus. As a dedicated commercial launch to low Earth orbit, FLTA006 will further prove Alpha’s robust performance to take customers directly to their preferred orbits. With each fight, the Firefly team continues to improve its rapid launch operations and further validate Alpha’s robust performance as the only operational 1 metric ton rocket.
Alpha FLTA006 is the second mission Firefly is launching for Lockheed Martin and the first of Firefly’s new multi-launch agreement with Lockheed Martin that includes up to 25 missions over the next five years. This mission will launch Lockheed Martin’s LM 400 tech demo to prove out the risk-reduction and pathfinding efforts the company has done for its mid-sized, multi-mission satellite bus. As a dedicated commercial launch to low Earth orbit, FLTA006 will further prove Alpha’s robust performance to take customers directly to their preferred orbits. With each fight, the Firefly team continues to improve its rapid launch operations and further validate Alpha’s robust performance as the only operational 1 metric ton rocket.
