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Alpha (launch vehicle)

Product
Developers: Firefly Aerospace
Date of the premiere of the system: September 2021
Branches: Space industry

Content

2025: Failed Launch

On April 29, 2025, an accident occurred during the launch of the two-stage Alpha rocket of the American aerospace company Firefly Aerospace. As a result, the carrier was unable to launch the Lockheed Martin demonstration satellite into the calculated orbit, which drowned in the Pacific Ocean.

The Alpha rocket as part of the FLTA0006 mission launched from the site of the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The flight took place normally until the separation of the steps about 2 minutes and 35 seconds after launch. A cloud of smoke suddenly formed between the modules, and the personnel from the onboard cameras showed flying debris.

Camera on second stage of Alpha rocket shows falling debris and damaged or missing nozzle shortly after stages split

Firefly Aerospace reported that during the separation of the first stage, problems occurred due to which the nozzle of the only Lightning engine of the second stage was damaged. This reduced the thrust of the power unit, as a result of which the second stage did not gain orbital speed, although it reached an altitude of 320 km. As a result, the upper stage and payload returned to the atmosphere over the South Pacific Ocean near Antarctica.

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The Firefly Aerospace team is working closely with our customer and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to investigate and determine the root cause of the anomaly. We will provide additional information after the completion of the work, - said the company.
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During the failed mission, it was planned to deliver the Lockheed Martin LM 400 multi-purpose demonstration satellite into orbit. The spacecraft was intended to test various technologies in space conditions, including testing SmartSat software, which allows you to reconfigure the satellite system. The LM 400 platform, according to the developer, "is capable of supporting a wide range of missions," and the payload can reach 1100 kg.[1]

2021: Military detonates first missile launched by US-Ukraine company Firefly

On September 5, 2021, the US-Ukrainian company Firefly Aerospace published a detailed video of the take-off and subsequent explosion of the Alpha launch vehicle. The company noted that although the launch did not end in orbit, it became an important stage for the team.

The launch of the Alpha rocket was carried out on September 3, 2021 from the site of the California US Air Force Base Vandenberg and was originally supposed to take place at 04:00 Moscow time, but during the countdown, the start was postponed for an unknown reason. The launch was repeated almost an hour later and at 04:59 Moscow time the launch vehicle successfully launched. The first two and a half minutes of the flight was successful, but then an explosion occurred, as a result of which the rocket was destroyed by the decision of the US Space Force.

The military blew up the first rocket launched by the US-Ukrainian company Firefly

The cause of the accident of the Firefly carrier on its Facebook page was revealed by the State Space Agency of Ukraine (GKAU) on September 3, 2021. The report says that "after the launch, an abnormal situation occurred, which led to the loss of the rocket and cargo."

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At launch, the rocket faced malfunctions during the operation of the first stage and was unable to enter orbit, the GKAU said in a statement.
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The rocket was supposed to deliver to orbit the projects of the winners of the specialized DREAM program aimed at promoting the exact sciences. In addition to satellites developed by Western universities and non-profit organizations as part of 26 projects from seven countries around the world, there were also children's drawings on board space transport.

Work on Alpha has been ongoing since 2014. The rocket belongs to the light category of launch vehicles and at the same time is the largest representative of its class: for example, its height is estimated at 29 m.

Firefly Aerospace belongs to Ukrainian citizen Maxim Polyakov. It develops small and medium-sized light-class launch vehicles designed to launch cargo from 600 kg to 1 ton into orbit.[2]

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