Firefly Aerospace to Launch First Ever Rocker Soon; How to Watch

Firefly Aerospace, located in Cedar Park, will launch its first rocket into the lower Earth orbit on September 2.

The Alpha rocket is set to launch from Space Launch Complex 2 at 9 p.m. Eastern on September 2 during a four-hour window. The firm has a two-hour backup window on September 3. The weather forecast for the launch is good, Space News said.

About Alpha Rocket

SpaceFlightNow said the two-stage Alpha rocket could launch payloads weighing up to 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) into a low-altitude orbit. That's around 630 kilograms (1,388 pounds) into a 500-kilometer (310-mile) high sun-synchronous polar orbit.

The Alpha is one of a slew of new compact satellite launchers created by private companies. The kerosene-fueled rocket will take off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, some 140 miles (225 kilometers) northwest Los Angeles.

(Photo: Rodney Jones/U.S. Air Force via Getty Images)
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CA - JULY 12: In this handout image provided by the U.S. Air Force, a Boeing Delta II rocket lifts off at 3:02 a.m. from the Space Launch Complex-2 July 15, 2004, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The rocket carries NASA's Aura satellite into Polar orbit. The Earth Observing System (EOS) Aura is a NASA mission to study the Earth's ozone, air quality and climate.

Since United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket departed in 2018, Firefly moved in at the SLC-2W launch site.

Firefly also constructed an entirely new launch mount and transporter-erector at the pad. It renovated the Delta integration building and support facilities. The Delta 2 was placed vertically on the launch pad. At the same time, the Alpha launcher was built horizontally, then rolled out and raised upright for launch.

SpaceFlightNow, citing Firefly, said a single Alpha launch would cost $15 million each flight.

Yesterday Firefly performed a static fire test of the Alpha launch vehicle on its Vandenberg launch pad. The fully-fueled, flight-ready vehicle fired its first stage engines for fifteen seconds. pic.twitter.com/XZt45n72js
— Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) August 19, 2021

ALSO READ: Why is US Space Force Paying SpaceX $316 Million Per Launch Amid Recent Decision to Launch Reused Rockets?

The Alpha launch vehicle is about 6 feet (1.8 meters) in diameter and measures around 97.6 feet (29.75 meters) tall when completely constructed.

CNBC said the first Alpha mission, known as Dedicated Research & Education Accelerator Mission (DREAM) launched from Vandenberg's SLC-2, is a test flight that carries various items, including 11 technical payloads. Six FOSSA picosatellites, the Space Electric Thruster Systems propulsion demonstration spacecraft, Purdue University's FireSail, a Teachers in Space cube satellite (which is testing a Villanova blockchain experiment), a small satellite from the Hawaii Science and Technology Museum, and a Benchmark Space Systems demonstration spacecraft, are among the technical payloads.

Firefly has raised more than $175 million to far, with a valuation of more than $1 billion. With the Alpha and the anticipated Beta, the firm is best known for its launch business. However, it is also developing Blue Ghost, a lunar lander, and a space utility vehicle, often known as a "space tug," to transfer satellites into certain orbits after launch.

More Private Firms Conducting Launches

While this is FireFly's first planned launch, it is one of several private firms hosting launches.

In April, Elon Musk's SpaceX launched a rocket carrying people from Florida's Kennedy Space Center. In July, billionaire Richard Branson launched his Virgin Galactic rocket into space.

Since collaborating with Cedar Park six years ago, Firefly has evolved to include lunar landers and rocket systems. Space.com said the business was given a $93.3 million contract by NASA in February to send a group of ten research investigators and technical demos to the moon in 2023.

Another KVUE report mentioned that kerosene spilled during a FireFly's Alpha rocket test earlier this year and caused a massive blaze. The incident forced officials to implement highway closure and evacuations.