Firefly Aerospace says the first and second stages of its Alpha rocket have been shipped to Vandenberg Space Force Base. They made the trip in under 24 hours after leaving Firefly's test facilities in Briggs, Texas. Launch preparations for Alpha's second launch are now under way.
Is to the black a double entendre of going to space and profitability?
Just spoke with Firefly's Tom Markusic and will have an in-depth story early next week. He said that, if all goes well with the range and FAA licensing, the company will target July 17 for the second launch of its Alpha rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
With our fight 2 #ToTheBlack launch campaign underway, take a look back at our journey to orbit.
Has Firefly Aerospace made minor technical adjustments to the Firefly Alpha rocket scheduled for launch next month in the hope of avoiding a repeat of the failure of the first launch of the Firefly Alpha?
Happy 4th of July! (Pic: Firefly Alpha Flight 2 fully integrated vehicle at Vandenberg Space Force Base) #happy4thofjuly #ToTheBlack @SLDelta30
Any new news? July 17 approaches quickly.
Quote from: Firefly Aerospace tweetHappy 4th of July! (Pic: Firefly Alpha Flight 2 fully integrated vehicle at Vandenberg Space Force Base) #happy4thofjuly #ToTheBlack @SLDelta30 [July 4]
Happy 4th of July! (Pic: Firefly Alpha Flight 2 fully integrated vehicle at Vandenberg Space Force Base) #happy4thofjuly #ToTheBlack @SLDelta30 [July 4]
All indications are that there will be no launch in July, at NextSpaceFlight we mark it for the end of the third quarter.
https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/6864QuoteTo The BlackLaunch TimeNET September, 2022Second demonstration flight of Firefly Alpha. This mission may carry some educational payloads.
To The BlackLaunch TimeNET September, 2022Second demonstration flight of Firefly Alpha. This mission may carry some educational payloads.
Firefly Aerospace is preparing for the second launch of its Alpha rocket in late August or early September, hoping that a successful mission can enable a “step change” in activity for the company.The second Alpha rocket is currently at the company’s launch site at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California as the company makes final preparations for the launch. The first Alpha rocket launched from there in September 2021 but failed to reach orbit when one of its first first-stage engines shut down shortly after liftoff.“Our target is in the next 45 to 60 days of being able to launch,” Peter Schumacher, interim chief executive of Firefly, said in a recent interview. “It’s really pending, at this point, range availability.”<snip>Schumacher said the company will have to work around a few government launches scheduled, such as a Delta 4 Heavy launch of a National Reconnaissance Office payload. “If they don’t move, we’ll probably be looking at a launch in the first or second week of September,” he said. “If those government launches are delayed for any reason, we might be able to sneak into the last week of August.”
What remains to be done between now and launch?Wet Dress Rehearsal?Static Fire?
The rocket itself is ready for flight, he said, other than performing a wet dress rehearsal and a static fire test, which he said would be done within two weeks of launch. The company is waiting on a launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration, which in turn depends on approval of a new debris model for the rocket.
For its next launch Firefly is going to 137 degrees and shouldn't go anywhere near SLC-6. I expect that trajectory won't be commonly used after the initial test launch, but the conversation in this thread was about whether the upcoming Firefly and DIVH launches would conflict.
Just rolled through Vandenberg and saw @Firefly_Space’s next Alpha in the vertical on SLC-2W. Good luck to y’all on your second flight!
