Introducing Firefly Space Systems

[Prober]

Firefly a developing a few new technologies, high pressure composite fuel tanks for pressure feed engine, aerospike, methane engine plus a new LV and facilities from scratch. Switching from methane to RP1 reduces the business risk from added development delays, especially as Firefly collectively as lot of engineering experience developing RP1 engines. This doesn't mean they have shelved the lower cost methane engine LV, just delayed it while they look after business.

Their SSO 500km price per kg ($8m for 200kg) is directly competitive with Rocketlab $4.9m for 110kg.

some interesting times in the low end launch market

[CameronD]

Firefly a developing a few new technologies, high pressure composite fuel tanks for pressure feed engine, aerospike, methane engine plus a new LV and facilities from scratch. Switching from methane to RP1 reduces the business risk from added development delays, especially as Firefly collectively as lot of engineering experience developing RP1 engines. This doesn't mean they have shelved the lower cost methane engine LV, just delayed it while they look after business.

Their SSO 500km price per kg ($8m for 200kg) is directly competitive with Rocketlab $4.9m for 110kg.

some interesting times in the low end launch market

It'd be more interesting times if they actually flew..

[Davidthefat]

Question about these carbon fiber body launch vehicles: how is RF handled on the vehicle? The payload section says that the payload RF systems will be shut off during ascent and turned on after fairing separation. How do they deal with the carbon fiber induced RF attenuation for the actual vehicle?

[mhlas7]

Picture of what looks like an engine test stand via Firefly's facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/fireflyspace/photos/a.654927377930979.1073741827.565374443552940/858135667610148/

[Prober]

Picture of what looks like an engine test stand via Firefly's facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/fireflyspace/photos/a.654927377930979.1073741827.565374443552940/858135667610148/

[Beittil]

From the FireFly Facebook page:

Many members of Firefly's team celebrate the completion of construction at Test Stand 1.[/]

[Kryten]

Firefly Space ‏@Firefly_Space  3m3 minutes ago
Firefly's Test Stand 1 is rated to 500,000 lbs of thrust.

FRE-1 is only 90,000lbf, they must have something bigger planned. Could be what's on the Beta boosters.

[Beittil]

Another image from their Facebook:

No fire just yet - Liquid Oxygen flowing at 500 psia through the engine main valve.

[TrevorMonty]

Good news Firefly is no longer a power point rocket, it has actual operating hardware.

First engine test fire.

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2015/09/10/firefly-conducts-engine-hot-fire/

[Lars-J]

Here is a picture: (from FireFly)

[Scylla]

First Rocket Engine Test a Success for Firefly Space Systems
http://www.fireflyspace.com/news/ournews/first-rocket-engine-test-a-success-for-firefly-space-systems

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



First Rocket Engine Test a Success for Firefly Space Systems

CEDAR PARK, Texas, September 10, 2015

Firefly Space Systems, the Texas-based developer of dedicated launch vehicles for the small satellite market, announced today that it has successfully tested its first rocket engine, Firefly Rocket Engine Research 1 (“FRE-R1”).

“The successful testing of our first engine represents a quantum step in the technical maturation of our company. We have demonstrated that our core engine design can reliably start, stop and operate at a steady state without combustion instabilities,” said Firefly Co-Founder and CEO Dr. Thomas Markusic.

Firefly is developing one combustor design that will be utilized to power both stages of their small-sat launcher – “Firefly Alpha.” The Alpha upper stage will utilize an engine (FRE-1) with a single combustor, whereas the first stage engine (FRE-2) will use an array of twelve of the same combustors arranged in an annular aerospike configuration.

FRE-R1 is a propulsion pathfinder for both stages of Alpha. It operates using LOx/RP-1 propellants, but the basic combustor design can utilize either methane or RP-1 fuels. The upper stage variant of the engine (FRE-1) will produce 7,000 lbf thrust, and the first stage cluster used in FRE-2 will produce 125,000 lbf thrust.

The first test series successfully demonstrated startup, shutdown, and steady state combustion. The test also served to prove the complete functionality of Firefly’s new test site. Upcoming engine tests will emphasize performance tuning and longer duration “mission duty cycle” runs. The first hot-fire tests of the FRE-2 aerospike engine are expected to take place in early 2016.

“In only fifteen months, we have built our Texas team, constructed state-of-the-art engineering and test facilities, designed a complete rocket (Alpha) to PDR level, and built and tested key vehicle technologies, such as the FRE-R1 engine,” added Markusic.

“I’m incredibly proud of the innovative and hard-driving spirit of the Firefly team. They are smart, hard-working and building momentum in hardware development, which will carry Firefly to space in short order.”

ABOUT FIREFLY SPACE SYSTEMS

Firefly is a small satellite launch company located in Cedar Park, TX which was created to provide low-cost, high-performance space launch capability for the under-served small satellite market, where secondary-payload launches are often the only option. The Firefly team consists of highly experienced aerospace engineers that have spent the better part of the past decade working at NASA and various New Space companies, including SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic.

Simplified and optimized for least cost, and utilizing innovations such as a rethought engine design, Firefly has positioned itself to be the technological and cost effective solution leader for traditional manufacturers of small satellites for government agencies, earth observation, and constellation

[Beittil]

I love the way engine firing make the logo on the wall all glowy Nice touch...

[Garrett]

Here is a picture: (from FireFly)

And a higher res version from their Twitter post

[Jarnis]

First test and no RUD. Congratulations!

[CameronD]

First test and no RUD. Congratulations!

On that note: I don't see much in the way of blast containment around the engine itself.  They must be either (a) mighty confident they'll never have a problem or (b) be in the middle of absolutely nowhere..

[savuporo]

First test and no RUD. Congratulations!

On that note: I don't see much in the way of blast containment around the engine itself.  They must be either (a) mighty confident they'll never have a problem or (b) be in the middle of absolutely nowhere..

Presser said 'remote site 50 miles north of Austin' which puts its somewhere in Fort Hood which i guess has a military artillery test range.

[ChrisWilson68]

It's nice to see they've been able to reach this point.  They're far ahead of the vast majority of space start-ups.

I think it's clear that they have the technical capabilities to very likely successfully reach orbit eventually, if their funding holds out.  They must have fairly respectable funding to have gotten to this point and the headcount the picture demonstrates.  They'll need a lot more to reach operational status.

Their business case still seems like their biggest problem to me.  They can be great people and build an organization that delivers what it promises technically, but if the market isn't there to support it, the company can't succeed.

[Helodriver]

Looks like the newly built LC-39C at Kennedy Space Center is getting its first tenant. Makes sense, its a perfect fit.

From Firefly's Twitter today :

"We are planning our sub-orbital test flight program from @NASAKennedy (likely Launch Complex 39C) thanks to the great work of @SpaceFlorida"

[sghill]

Here's the FL Today story from James Dean:
http://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2015/10/14/ksc-awards-help-develop-small-satellite-launchers/73916514/

One of three companies to win contracts to launch small satellites from NASA plans to perform test flights from Kennedy Space Center next year.

Texas-based Firefly Space Systems' 77-foot-tall Alpha rocket could be the first to use KSC's new pad 39C for the suborbital test flights.

"At that time we’ll be proud to call ourselves Floridians, and signal to the world that the most exciting and innovative technologies in space access are still happening right here on the Space Coast," said Maureen Gannon, Firefly's vice president for business development.

By March 2018, the company plans to launch very small spacecraft known as CubeSats to orbit for NASA, from a launch site to be determined depending on the spacecraft selected for the $5.5 million mission.

The demonstration mission is one of several that KSC's Launch Services Program has bought to help enable a new class of small rockets designed to launch small satellites as soon as next year.

NASA also has bought a launch on Rocket Lab USA's Electron rocket for $7 million, and on Virgin Galactic's air-launched LauncherOne rocket for $4.7 million. Those companies could also potentially launch from the Space Coast.

The three companies were selected under NASA's new Venture Class Launch Services initiative to launch bunches of 15 to 30 CubeSats, which can measure as little as 4 inches on a side, on demonstration missions by early 2018.

To date, those small spacecraft have been force to fly in "coach class," NASA said, by hitching rides as secondary payloads on big rockets that might cost $100 million or more.

The new rockets, none of which have flown yet, seek to offer low-cost alternatives that can deliver the spacecraft to orbits they want on schedules they want.

"We can basically say now we are riding first-class," said Garrett Skrobot, the Launch Services Program's mission lead for the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites, or ELaNa, program.

[ChrisWilson68]

"We can basically say now we are riding first-class," said Garrett Skrobot, the Launch Services Program's mission lead for the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites, or ELaNa, program.

In other words, paying more to get to the same place.