Author Topic: Firefly Alpha Flight 2: To the Black : VSFB SLC-2W : 1 October 2022 07:01 UTC (Read 88425 times)

Steven Pietrobon · « **Reply #240 on:** 10/01/2022 08:29 am »

Confirmation that all three payloads have deployed!

Credit Everyday Astronaut.

Steven Pietrobon · « **Reply #241 on:** 10/01/2022 08:32 am »

Congratulations to Firefly and their customers for the successful launch!

Relight burn.

Credit Everyday Astronaut.

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #242 on:** 10/01/2022 08:34 am »

Brilliant! Many congratulations to Firefly! Getting to orbit on just your second flight is a fantastic achievement. Really hope you can build a successful business on this. The launch market just got even more interesting !

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #243 on:** 10/01/2022 08:35 am »

https://twitter.com/firefly_space/status/1576128427144654848

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🚀3 payloads have been deployed successfully, and customers have confirmed acquisition of signal.

tyrred · « **Reply #244 on:** 10/01/2022 08:44 am »

Congratulations, Firefly! Been waiting a long time for this, but it was worth it.

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #245 on:** 10/01/2022 08:46 am »

https://twitter.com/firefly_space/status/1576131250653663234

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🚀 100% Mission success. Congratulations to the entire team.

Edit to add:

https://twitter.com/firefly_space/status/1576131656775192576

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🎤Mic drop.

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #246 on:** 10/01/2022 09:32 am »

Quote from: Steven Pietrobon on 10/01/2022 06:04 am

A sensor detected an issue and aborted yesterday's launch attempt.

Credit Everyday Astronaut.

Here’s a great slow motion video of yesterday’s abort:

https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1576005155434086400

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Video of Firefly Alpha aborting the Friday morning launch attempt. Clip is 25% of real-time speed.

catdlr · « **Reply #247 on:** 10/01/2022 09:50 am »

Firefly Alpha II Successfully Launches from Vandenberg

VAFB

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Congratulations to the men and women of Space Launch Delta 30 and Firefly Aerospace!

Firefly Aerospace successfully launched Alpha Flight 2, "To The Black" into orbit for the first time!
The rocket launched from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex-2 at 12:01 a.m., Oct. 1, 2022.

This successful launch emphasizes our mission of Assured Access To Space while we develop new partnerships and help make history!

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #248 on:** 10/01/2022 09:50 am »

The missing launch video (archived stream has a 10s cut on it at lift off!)

https://twitter.com/erdayastronaut/status/1576147122642042881

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Here’s a little replay teaser from tonight’s outstanding @Firefly_Space’s first successful launch of their Alpha rocket! I can’t wait for @considercosmos to post the high quality video AND audio along with this, it’s going to be something special for sure!!! #ToTheBlack

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #249 on:** 10/01/2022 10:22 am »

A bit of deployment video (it’s on the live stream but as a replay near the end of the steam, a while after actual deployment)

https://twitter.com/spaceflightnow/status/1576128814882619392

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Firefly Aerospace has confirmed deployment of the Alpha rocket's smallsat payloads. They include two CubeSats for NASA and the education non-profit Teachers in Space, plus five smaller "picosats" from Spain & Greece.

📷: @Erdayastronaut / @Firefly_Space

https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/09/30/firefly-alpha-to-the-black-mission-status-center/

Edit to add:

https://twitter.com/dutchspace/status/1576128511730847744

Rondaz · « **Reply #250 on:** 10/01/2022 10:36 am »

QUBIK 4 and QUBIK 3 are alive!

Received by "2623 - vk2pet western Aust" station.

More details and updates as well as TLE sets for @Firefly_Space mission satellites can be found in:

https://twitter.com/SatNOGS/status/1576142711207362560

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #251 on:** 10/01/2022 12:08 pm »

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #252 on:** 10/01/2022 12:28 pm »

https://twitter.com/_tomcross_/status/1576115301346746368

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Firefly’s first successful launch! A welcoming stellar backdrop greeting.

@Firefly_Space #ToTheBlack

📷@SuperclusterHQ

Galactic Penguin SST · « **Reply #253 on:** 10/01/2022 01:28 pm »

First object from the launch has been cataloged by the USSF 18th SDS:

53955/2022-122A: 219 x 279 km x 136.89 deg.

john smith 19 · « **Reply #254 on:** 10/01/2022 01:50 pm »

And they did it.

I'm not usually very impressed by yet another TSTO ELV but AIUI this is the first Kerolox chamber tapoff cycle engines for both S1 and S2. Blue did one but I think it, like the J-2S was a Hydrolox.

The key features of this engine being the elimination of a 2nd igntion system (for the gas generator in a GG cycle) and of course the gas generator package itself. In principle for an engine with the same chamber pressure and thrust you get an engine with a better T/W ratio.

Congratulations Firefly. A long time coming and very well deserved result.

2022 is turning out to be quite a year for new engines in the US market. FFSC,ORSC,Plug nozzle and now Kerolox chamber tapoff.

Exciting times.

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #255 on:** 10/01/2022 03:35 pm »

https://twitter.com/tgmetsfan98/status/1576216605645996032

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Congratulations to the @Firefly_Space teams on reaching orbit!

Article by Trevor Sesnic (@124970MeV): https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2022/10/firefly-to-the-black/

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #256 on:** 10/01/2022 03:49 pm »

https://twitter.com/astra/status/1576237563651624960

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Congratulations @Firefly_Space!

Vahe231991 · « **Reply #257 on:** 10/01/2022 04:05 pm »

Since the Firefly Alpha made it to orbit for the first time after its first launch ended in failure, will Firefly Aerospace apply the adjustments made to a few electrical systems of the Firefly Alpha used for its first successful space launch to future Firefly Alpha and Beta vehicles to make sure that future Firefly Alpha launches are successful?

Rondaz · « **Reply #258 on:** 10/01/2022 05:29 pm »

The second @Firefly_Space Alpha was launched from Space Launch Complex 2-West at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 0701 UTC. So far one object has been tracked in a 219 x 279 km x 136.9 deg low Earth orbit.

On the second point, target orbit supposedly was 185x300km, but probably fell somewhat short given the 279km apogee of the 53955 object currently tracked. This is the upper stage, but @LibreSpace_Fnd's QUBIK-3/4 payloads are tracked by @SatNOGS in similar orbits.

https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1576228892066693120

https://twitter.com/cgbassa/status/1576230878782849025

sentinelnorth · « **Reply #259 on:** 10/01/2022 06:16 pm »

Good flight, congratulations to Firefly!

That stage separation seemed less than nominal. It appeared one of the Reavers did not shut down fully- you could see it still producing exhaust after separation, and that might be one reason why the stage started tumbling so much. This could have also been related to the big vapor cloud and several pieces flying off at stage sep.

I wonder, did stage 1 not separate due to residual thrust, forcing the Lightning engine to startup inside the interstage and blow it apart?

Edit: Nevermind, just saw the Firefly recap video. It separated but ignited still quite close to stage 1.