Firefly Alpha
Firefly Alpha (Firefly α) is a two-stage orbital expendable launch vehicle developed by the American company Firefly Aerospace to compete in the commercial small satellite launch market. Alpha is intended to provide launch options for both full vehicle and rideshare customers.
Firefly Alpha lifting off the pad at Vandenberg Space Force Base on September 2, 2021 | |
| Manufacturer | Firefly Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Cost per launch | US$15 million - US$17.6 million |
| Size | |
| Height | 29 m (95 ft) |
| Diameter | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Mass | 54,000 kg (119,000 lb) |
| Stages | 2 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to low Earth orbit | |
| Mass | 1,030 kg (2,270 lb) |
| Payload to Sun-synchronous orbit (500km) | |
| Mass | 630 kg (1,390 lb) |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Active |
| Launch sites | Vandenberg SLC-2W, Cape Canaveral SLC-20 |
| Total launches | 4 |
| Success(es) | 1 |
| Failure(s) | 1 |
| Partial failure(s) | 2 |
| First flight | 3 September 2021 |
| Last flight | 22 December 2023 |
| First stage | |
| Diameter | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Powered by | 4 × Reaver 1 |
| Maximum thrust | 736.1 kN (165,500 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 295.6 s (2.899 km/s) |
| Propellant | RP-1 / LOX |
| Second stage | |
| Diameter | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Powered by | 1 × Lightning 1 |
| Maximum thrust | 70.1 kN (15,800 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 322.0 s (3.158 km/s) |
| Propellant | RP-1 / LOX |
The first launch attempt was on 3 September 2021 but the vehicle did not reach orbit when one of the first stage engines failed during ascent. A second orbital test flight took place on 1 October 2022 and successfully reached orbit. Alpha deployed 7 satellites, however, due to the lower than intended deployment orbit, most of the satellites re-entered before reaching their intended design life a week after launch. The first fully successful launch of Alpha took place on 15 September 2023.