Author Topic: Firefly Space : Company and Development General Thread  (Read 451555 times)

Offline brickmack

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No. You, and others here, don't understand. There are perfectly legitimate ways of having (parts) of your rockets designed and built outside the USA without violating ITAR and/or MTCR. As Ed has pointed out there are many examples of US companies fielding rockets with foreign built- and supplied components.

That directoy contradicts his statement in the article though, that there is no clear division between what is American and Ukrainian

Offline vaporcobra

Stepping away from the wonderful hell that is ITAR, some hardware stuff!

These are just-finished composite tank structures, per a LinkedIn post from a partner of one of Firefly's investors.

Offline Katana

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That's the only way I can think of how they can operate without Homeland Security raiding their offices.

Unless their offices are being raided as we type, as a response to that article. It is bound to raise a lot of eyebrows, which may not be good for Firefly as they seem to be in negotiations to take over SLC-2W at VAFB.

No. You, and others here, don't understand. There are perfectly legitimate ways of having (parts) of your rockets designed and built outside the USA without violating ITAR and/or MTCR. As Ed has pointed out there are many examples of US companies fielding rockets with foreign built- and supplied components.

Exactly, my point being that Ukrainians are strictly subcontractors.
Subcontracctor for tap off engine or composite structure?
Are they capable of develop these subsystems without tech transfer?

Offline playadelmars

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Anyone else know how much of this hardware (composite tanks, engines, test stand, etc) was leftover from before the Ukrainians came in with funding? Is this all new development or a continuation of before? Curious to see them, like last time, fall into the same traps of already talking about a much more complex V2 Beta rocket before even having Alpha flying...

Online fthomassy

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Anyone else know how much of this hardware (composite tanks, engines, test stand, etc) was leftover from before the Ukrainians came in with funding? Is this all new development or a continuation of before? Curious to see them, like last time, fall into the same traps of already talking about a much more complex V2 Beta rocket before even having Alpha flying...
Looks like all facilities and hardware from the first iteration transferred to the new. However, the Alpha is a new design so (logically) all tanks are different. I suspect the Lightening second stage engine is a derivative of the old first stage engine but I could be wrong as I didn't think to ask.
gyatm . . . Fern


Offline vaporcobra

Integrated stage testing is supposed to begin later this summer, per Mark Watt (an investor).

Offline catdlr

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Reaver Engine Hot Fire
Firefly Aerospace
Published on May 22, 2018



Tony De La Rosa, ...I'm no Feline Dealer!! I move mountains.  but I'm better known for "I think it's highly sexual." Japanese to English Translation.

Offline Davidthefat

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Reaver Engine Hot Fire
Firefly Aerospace
Published on May 22, 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr5NjUaqdNs?t=001



As stated in the description, the test was pressure fed from ground side; firing of the thrust chamber only.

Offline Gliderflyer

Reaver Engine Hot Fire
Firefly Aerospace
Published on May 22, 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr5NjUaqdNs?t=001



Looks like a TEA TEB ignition and a whole bunch of film cooling.
I tried it at home

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Quote
Tom Markusic, Firefly Aerospace: moving at full speed, have all the money and people we need, test facility and launch site. Spend next year or so putting the parts together then launch #ISDC2018

https://twitter.com/spacecom/status/1000065045596815360

Quote
Tom Markusic, Firefly Aerospace: we’ve been through some ups and downs, but now we have all the money we need, have the people, and a launch site. Planning for first Alpha launch in 3rd quarter of 2019. #ISDC2018

https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1000065245338054656

Edit to add:

Quote
Markusic: Max Polyakov is funding the company and is heavily involved. Ukrainian ties led to us opening an R&D facility there with 150 people. Ribbon cutting ceremony lest week attended by Ukrainian president. #ISDC2018

https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1000066432141578240
« Last Edit: 05/25/2018 06:23 pm by FutureSpaceTourist »

Offline Lars-J

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Quote
Markusic: Max Polyakov is funding the company and is heavily involved. Ukrainian ties led to us opening an R&D facility there with 150 people. Ribbon cutting ceremony lest week attended by Ukrainian president. #ISDC2018

https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1000066432141578240

150 people? So does this mean that they will now have more Ukrainian employees than US based ones? I guess you take the funding you can get, but I wonder what hoops they had to (and will have to) jump though to solve ITAR issues.

Offline TrevorMonty

Another tweet from jeff

Markusic: reusability follows after you demonstrate you can get into space first. Considering it for the follow-on Beta vehicle; side boosters will separate at a fairly low altitude, and looking at means to do parachute recovery of them. #ISDC2018

Offline ChrisWilson68

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http://www.fireflyspace.com/news/ournews/firefly-aerospace-opens-research-and-development-center-in-dnipro-ukraine

From the press release:

Quote
John Isella, Director of International Business Development for Firefly and a resident of Dnipro said, “Firefly expects to be the first new space company to obtain a US Government Technical Assistance Agreement (TAA) facilitating design collaboration between the US and Ukraine. This collaboration, once approved, will leverage the knowledge base in Dnipro and strengthen our business case. Firefly U.S. is looking forward to working with Firefly Ukraine in compliance with all U.S. export control requirements. Both companies have implemented robust programs designed to ensure compliance now and in the future.”

Offline Davidthefat

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Doesn't Orbital ATK and Sea Launch already have TAAs with Yuzhnoye in Ukraine for their boosters?

Offline russianhalo117

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Doesn't Orbital ATK and Sea Launch already have TAAs with Yuzhnoye in Ukraine for their boosters?
Read it more carefully:
Quote
...
Firefly expects to be the first new space company to obtain a US Government Technical Assistance Agreement (TAA) ...

Offline Davidthefat

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Isn't Sea Launch considered a new space venture? Given that the whole selling point of Sea Launch was to launch from ships instead of from established government owned land based launch sites? Isn't going against the status quo the criteria for being "New Space"?

Offline brickmack

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Its still a company owned by 3 of the oldest space companies/entities there are (and an oil company), flying a 80s era rocket
« Last Edit: 05/27/2018 03:38 pm by brickmack »

Offline zubenelgenubi

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Isn't Sea Launch considered a new space venture? Given that the whole selling point of Sea Launch was to launch from ships instead of from established government owned land based launch sites? Isn't going against the status quo the criteria for being "New Space"?
IIRC think there were 5 important reasons for the existence of (the original) Sea Launch...(experts correct me, please, if I'm wrong)

Two orbital mechanics reasons:
ONE Launch due east on the Equator, to take maximum advantage of the rotational velocity of the Earth.

TWO Launch into a 0 deg. inclination GTO leads to no delta-V for a burn to reduce inclination into GEO.

Three practical reasons:
THREE Sea mobility means not having to build or pay for (Kourou, if they'd allow at any price) the use of a land base on or near the Equator.

(There ARE no other major equatorial orbital launch sites in the world.)

FOUR Means for Boeing to tap into relatively cheap skilled aerospace labor in the former USSR.

FIVE Keeping said highly skilled individuals working for good, instead of assisting rogue states to achieve ICBM capability ("Next week, on MacGyver...")
 
« Last Edit: 05/27/2018 04:21 pm by zubenelgenubi »
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Offline ringsider

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Until last night it was maybe coincidence:-

Skyrora Limited

Founded: 23 June 2017
Director: Laura Edison
Sole Owner: Volodimyr Levykin (via Skyrora Ventures Limited)
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/SC569511

Firefly Aerospace UK Limited:-

Founded: 28 June 2017
Director: Laura Edison
Sole Owner : Volodimyr Levykin
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/SC569811

 

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