Quote from: Hug on 09/20/2023 12:53 pmQuote from: rakaydos on 09/19/2023 12:52 amAnd this is only a single preburner.I mean it's a tap-off cycle Reaver right; no preburner?Yes, no preburner. And as its a tapoff cycle, behaviour of the turbopump and MCC are coupled (as the pump is driven by the gas tapped off the MCC, and the gas pressure in the MCC is based on propellants delivered, and propellants delivered is based on the pump driven by the tapoff gas...) so any delays in the control loop monitoring MCC pressure and driving the propellant valves can directly drive oscillations in the MCC and pump (and visible tapoff exhaust).
Quote from: rakaydos on 09/19/2023 12:52 amAnd this is only a single preburner.I mean it's a tap-off cycle Reaver right; no preburner?
And this is only a single preburner.
Firefly brings the heat in @TheSlowMoGuys latest video! There's no doubt that a hot fire is an amazing sight on its own, but now we get to see our Reaver engine in a whole new light. See the full video here:
Yes, that is the current discussion.I don't know enough about the differences between tapoff and a basic turbopump, but I'm pretty sure 2 turbopumps and combustion chamber back pressure is more complicated- and would generate even more erratic transients during startup.
...Weber said the Blue Ghost lunar lander is expected to complete its first mission next fall, which will involve orbiting and touching down on the moon's surface. Elytra will also fly in the first half of next year.
NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 is mostly aimed at medium-lift launch vehicles, isn't it? MLV will certainly be competing for those launches once it's flown, but Firefly is targeting its first flight in 2025, and I believe that unlike NSSL Lane 2, to compete in NSSL Lane 1 your vehicle needs to actually have flown, it's not enough to simply have a paper plan. (Although perhaps you could argue that with Lane 2, the paper plan is enough for pre-qualification, the rocket still needs to fly to win launches. While with Lane 1, there's no pre-qualification, launching is the qualification.)
Weber declared MLV is “designed for” the NSSL competition’s newly-created “Lane 1.” And, more importantly, Weber said his company is on schedule to ship its contribution for MLV to Northrop by the end of 2024. In full, the companies want to launch the inaugural MLV in about two years, to earn the military’s qualification “in the earliest window that we can possibly on ramp to Lane 1.”
Our space software team is one step closer to a landing on the Moon for @Firefly_Space's 2nd Blue Ghost mission! Our team is supporting Firefly’s transfer vehicle and lunar lander with flight software and guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) to help the mission deliver @NASA payloads to lunar orbit and the far side of the Moon in 2026. Congratulations to the full team at Firefly and Rocket Lab on successfully completing the program’s preliminary design review (PDR).
Firefly:1125-EX-ST-2023 Tantrum mission NET Oct1127-EX-ST-2023 FANTM Ride mission NET Nov
https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/7194QuoteSUV Demonstration MissionLaunch TimeNET January, 2024
SUV Demonstration MissionLaunch TimeNET January, 2024
NET December 2023 NET October 2022 TBD 2023 - Spaceflight Inc. multi satellite launch - Firefly Alpha - Vandenberg SLC-2WChanges on May 20th, 2022Changes on May 25th, 2022Changes on June 3rd, 2022Changes on December 23rd, 2022
https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/6866 [page not found]QuoteSpaceflight Industries RideshareLaunch TimeNET October, 2022
Spaceflight Industries RideshareLaunch TimeNET October, 2022
https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/6866 [page not found]QuoteSpaceflight Industries RideshareLaunch TimeNET December, 2023
Spaceflight Industries RideshareLaunch TimeNET December, 2023
Scheduled:Date - Satellite(s) - Rocket - Launch Site - Time (UTC)2024NET November 2023 March - VCLS (VADR) Demo-2FB/ELaNa 43: CatSat, KUbe-Sat-1, MESAT1, R5-S4, R5-S2-2.0, REAL, Serenity (3), SOC-i, TechEdSat-11 (TES-11) - Firefly Alpha (FLTA004) - Vandenberg SLC-2W (or NLT July)NET March - OTB 2 (Orbital Test Bed-2) - Firefly Alpha - Vandenberg SLC-2WNET March - EOS SAR 1 - Firefly Alpha - Vandenberg SLC-2WNET October 2023 Q1 - Tantrum - Firefly Alpha - Vandenberg SLC-2WQ1 - iSIM-SAT - Firefly Alpha - Vandenberg SLC-2W / Canaveral SLC-20Q2 - TBD - Firefly Beta - Canaveral SLC-20NET January Q2 - SUV demo mission, FANTM Ride - Firefly Alpha (FLTA005?) - Vandenberg SLC-2WNET December 2023 Q2 - Spaceflight Inc. multi satellite launch - Firefly Alpha - Vandenberg SLC-2WQ4 - TBD - Firefly Beta - Vandenberg SLC-2ETBD - Firefly Alpha - Lockheed Martin mission - Firefly Alpha - TBDTBD - TBD - Firefly Alpha - Canaveral SLC-20TBD - TBD - Firefly Alpha - Canaveral SLC-20Changes on October 13th
https://www.spaceconnectonline.com.au/launch/6043-fleet-s-tech-to-hunt-moon-minerals-set-for-2026-launchFleet’s tech to hunt moon minerals set for 2026 launch10 November 2023Geophysical device SPIDER – Seismic Payload for Interplanetary Discovery, Exploration and Research – will be attached to Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander in 2026.
https://twitter.com/firefly_space/status/1720455188949991676Quote Our Miranda dev engine is officially on the test stand. This hardworking team has worked diligently to achieve this milestone and is making the final preparations for the first hot fire. Once qualified, 7 Miranda engines - capable of producing 1.6 million pounds of thrust - will power the first stage of Antares 330 and the medium launch vehicle we're co-developing with @northropgrumman.Stay tuned as we get ready to light this engine up!
Our Miranda dev engine is officially on the test stand. This hardworking team has worked diligently to achieve this milestone and is making the final preparations for the first hot fire. Once qualified, 7 Miranda engines - capable of producing 1.6 million pounds of thrust - will power the first stage of Antares 330 and the medium launch vehicle we're co-developing with @northropgrumman.Stay tuned as we get ready to light this engine up!
Behind the scenes, our team is hard at work developing hardware for Elytra's first on-orbit mission in 2024. More than just a rendering, We're building Elytra using many of the same components from our rockets and lunar landers, including the carbon composite structures and propulsion systems. Learn more about this upcoming mission here:
Just two months after our VICTUS NOX launch, the Firefly crew has completed stage integration and rolled Alpha out to the pad. Stay tuned for more info about flight 4!
Congrats to our Elytra team on another milestone! We recently completed structural environmental testing on the qualification model. This test validates the spacecraft, with @xtenti's FANTM-RiDE mass simulator attached, can handle the loads experienced during launch. Stay tuned for more insights as we prepare for our first on-orbit Elytra mission:
