SPACE LAUNCH REPORT Firefly Alpha Rocket Launch Vehicle Flight History by Variant/Year (2021-Present) by Ed Kyle, Last Update February 20, 2024 L(F) = Number of Launches(Number of Failures) Alpha Grand Total Year L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 2020 - - - - - 2021 1(1) - - - 1(1) 2022 1(1) - - - 1(1) 2023 2(1) - - - 2(1) ------------------------------------------------------------------ Alpha Grand Total L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) ------------------------------------------------------------------ Suborb - - - - - Orbit 4(3) - - - 4(3) Total 4(3) - - - 4(3) ------------------------------------------------------------------ Footnotes: Alpha Rocket Variants ================================================================== Name Stage 1 Stage 2 Ht GLOW ------------------------------------------------------------------ Alpha 4xReaver 1xLightning 29 m 54 t ================================================================== Payload to 200 km x 28.5 deg: 1.00 tonnes Payload to 500 km x 98.6 deg: 0.63 tonnes Stage Data ================================================================== Stg Name Loaded Empty Thrust ISP ISP Burn Dia Len Mass Mass sec sec time tonnes tonnes tonnes SL Vac sec m m ------------------------------------------------------------------ Alpha S1 2.895 75.052 295.6s 165s 1.8 18 Alpha S2 0.910 7.14 322s 316s 1.8 5.9 ================================================================== FIREFLY ALPHA ORBITAL SPACE LAUNCH LOG DATE VEHICLE ID PAYLOAD MASS(t) SITE ORBIT ------------------------------------------------------------------ 09/03/21 Alpha FLTA001 DREAM 0.92115 VA 2W [FTO] 10/01/22 Alpha FLTA002 Cube/Picosats 0.01215 VA 2W [LEO] 09/15/23 Alpha FLTA003 VICTUS-NOX VA 2W SSO 12/22/23 Alpha FLTA004 Tantrum ~0.13 VA 2W [LEO] ------------------------------------------------------------------ [FLTA001] Control loss at about T+2.5 minutes. Underperforming prior to loss. Electrical connection failure caused valves on one engine to close at liftoff, shutting it down. [FLTA002] 0701 UTC launch. 219x279 km x 136.89 deg orbit, short of planned 300 km circular orbit. Serenity (3U), TES-15 (3U), PicoBus (6 Picosats). Sats reentered days to weeks later. [FLTA003] 0228 UTC. TacRS-3 24-hour callup mission. 1-burn to 476x531 km x 97.32 deg. Stg 2 restarted successfully for deorbit burn. [FLTA004] 1732 UTC. Tantrum is Lockheed Martin Electronically Steereable Antenna Demonstration. Stg 2 failed second, circularization burn left payload in improper 215 x 523 km x 140 deg orbit. Payload fell from orbit less than two months later. Firefly later reported that "investigation determined the mishap was due to an error in the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) software algorithm that prevented the system from sending the necessary pulse commands to the Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters ahead of the stage two engine relight". Firefly planned to make "process changes to detect and prevent similar issues in the future". FTO = Failed to Orbit FSO = Failed Suborbital VA = Vandenberg SFB, California ------------------------------------------------------------------ Firefly Alpha History by Ed Kyle Firefly Aerospace, a Ukrainian-owned, US-headquartered company, was created from the remains of bankrupt Firefly Space Systems in 2017. Ukraine's Max Polyakov bought the assets of the prior company. Tom Markusic retained the CEO position. The company is headquartered in Cedar Park, Texas near Austin. It has a test and production site in Briggs, Texas and planned for a production facility on Merritt Island, Florida. A research and development arm in Dnipro, Ukraine was expected to employ as many workers as the Texas operations. Ukraine's Yuzhmash served as a subcontractor for Firefly Aerospace, producing combustion chambers, turbopumps, and controllers. The company developed a two-stage, 54 tonne kerosene/LOX rocket named Alpha, designed to lift 630 kg to a 500 km sun synchronous orbit from Vandenberg AFB, California, or 1,000 kg to a 200 km x 28 deg orbit from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Alpha would fly first from SLC 2W at Vandenberg AFB, with plans for future flights from SLC 20 at the Cape. The all-carbon-composite structure vehicle is 1.8 meters diameter, with a 2 meter diameter payload fairing. It stands 29 meters in height. The first stage is powered by four Reaver engines producing 165,459 lbf thrust in vacuum at 295.6 sec vacuum specific impulse. The stage weighs 2,895 kg dry. It fires for the first 165 seconds of flight. The second stage is powered by a single Lightning 1 engine producting 15,737 lbf thrust at 322 sec specific impulse, both in vacuum. The stage weighs 910 kg. It performs a 316 second burn during direct ascent missions and is designed to restart at LEO transfer orbit apogee to circularize the orbit on most missions. Both Reaver and Lightning are combustion tap-off cycle turbopump engines, started with a spin-start system. Heated helium pressurizes the propellant tanks. The clamshell two-piece payload fairing is five meters tall. Alpha second stage Qualication testing began during 2018 at Test Stand 2 in Briggs. The stage achieved a 300 second test on April 26, 2019. By March, 2019, horizontal Test Stand 1 had been retrofitted with a first stage thrust structure to be fitted with four Reaver engines for a series of step-by-step firings. On January 3, 2020, a 165 second static test of 4 Reaver engines together was performed. During December, 2019, Firefly began the Alpha Stage 1 Qualification testing campaign by intalling a first stage on Firefly's Test Stand 2 at Briggs. Plans called for hotfire testing leading to multiple 165 second full mission duty cycle test firings. On January 22, 2020, another test was stopped by a fire at the launch pad. The fire was soon extinguished, but the failure, combined with the growing Covid-19 pandemic, delayed Stage 1 Qualification testing for months. A first stage was not lifted into the test stand again until August, 2020. Launch Sites Firefly began launch operations at Vandenberg Space Force Base Space Launch Complex 2 West, a site last used by Delta 2. The pad saw minimal modifications, including installation of a launch pedestal for the Alpha vehicle transporter/erector. Alpha rolled to the pad horizontally on the transporter and then raised to vertical for launch. The pedestal and transporter erector equipment were shipped to VAFB during August, 2020. On February 22, 2019, Firefly Aerospace and Space Florida announced that Firefly would conduct launches from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 20 and establish manufacturing facilities at Exploration Park, Florida. Space Florida would provide up to $18.9 million for infrastructure improvements while Firefly would spend $52 million and employ more than 200. Alpha Inaugural Fails Smallsat launcher Alpha from Firefly Aerospace failed during its inaugural orbital attempt from Vandenberg Space Force Base on September 3, 2021. The 54.12 tonne, 29.74 meter tall, two-stage LOX/kerosene rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 2 West at 01:59 UTC after an aborted attempt about an hour earlier. Alpha's four Reaver-1 tap-off cycle engines produced about 75 tonnes of thurst at liftoff. The early moments of the flight appeared to go well, but as the vehicle gained altitude it appeared to underperform. It flew for about 2.5 minutes before reaching Max-Q, about a minute later than expected. The rocket then flipped out of control and exploded. Alpha carried a small, 92.115 kg payload of CubeSats on this test flight, designated FLTA001. A 300 km x 137 deg retrograde orbit was planned. Alpha is designed to carry up to 1,000 kg to a 200 km low inclination low Earth orbit, or 630 kg to a 500 km sun synchronous orbit. Its 1.8 meter diameter stages and 2.2 meter diameter payload fairing are made from carbon composite materials. A single 7.14 tonne thrust Lightning-1 engine powers the second stage. Second Alpha Reaches Lower than Planned Orbit A few hours into October 1, 2022, Firefly's Alpha made it to orbit on its second flight. Though the orbit was a bit lower than expected, the primary goal of simply making orbit was achieved. The second stage completed its burn to reach an initial 219 x 279 km x 136.89 deg transfer orbit, but failed to restart at apogee to reach a planned roughly 300 km circular orbit. Payloads included Serenity (3U), TES-15 (3U), and PicoBus (6 Picosats). All of the satellites reentered days to weeks later. Alpha F3 Success The third Alpha launch, which flew directly to a low Earth orbit without needing a second stage restart, succeeded on September 15, 2023. The TACRS-3 mission was launched on a 24-hour callup. A 476 x 531 km x 97.32 deg orbit was achieved. After spacecraft separation, Stage 2 reportedly restarted successfully for a deorbit burn. Fourth Alpha Restart Failure The fourth Alpha reached a transfer orbit with Northrop Grumman's 130 kg Tantrum on December 22, 2023, but once again the second stage failed to restart. Tantrum separated into an improper 215 x 523 km x 140 deg orbit. The payload fell from orbit less than two months later. Firefly later reported that "investigation determined the mishap was due to an error in the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) software algorithm that prevented the system from sending the necessary pulse commands to the Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters ahead of the stage two engine relight". Firefly planned to make "process changes to detect and prevent similar issues in the future". References: Jonathan's Space Report Launch Vehicle Database "http://www.planet4589.org/space/lvdb/index.html" Encylopedia Astronautica "http://www.astronautix.com/" Gunter's Space Page "http://www.skyrocket.de/space"