FLTA006 (Message in a Booster)

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Technology

Low Earth Orbit Space Launch Complex 2W Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Sixth flight of the Firefly Alpha small satellite launcher, launching the demonstration mission for Lockheed Martin's new LM400 satellite bus, which will carry a communications payload. The satellite bus is customizable to support different missions, including remote sensing, communications, imagery and radar Earth observations. It can also support different kinds of orbits and launch configurations.

Updates

Cosmic_Penguin • April 3, 2025, 4:05 a.m.

Reverted back to NET April with cancellation of NOTAMs.


Cosmic_Penguin • April 2, 2025, 5:25 p.m.

NET April 4 per NOTAMs, TBC.


Cosmic_Penguin • March 29, 2025, 7:30 p.m.

Reverted back to NET March with cancellation of NOTAMs.


Cosmic_Penguin • March 27, 2025, 1:24 p.m.

NET March 30, TBC.


Cosmic_Penguin • March 26, 2025, 1:22 a.m.

Reverted back to NET March TBD with cancellations of NOTAMs for March 26/27.


Firefly Alpha

Family:
Configuration:

Firefly Alpha (Firefly α) is a two-stage orbital expendable launch vehicle developed by the American aerospace company Firefly Aerospace to cover the commercial small satellite launch market. Alpha is intended to provide launch options for both full vehicle and ride share customers.

See Details
Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    29.0 m
  • Diameter
    1.82 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    2.21 m
  • Launch Mass
    54.0 T
  • Thrust
    736.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Firefly Alpha
  • Family
  • Variant
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Firefly Alpha
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $15000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    1000.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity
    630.0 kg

Firefly Aerospace

Firefly Aerospace

(FA)

CEO: Peter Schumacher Founded: 2014 Successes: 3 Failures: 2 Pending: 5

Agency Type:

Firefly Aerospace is an American private aerospace firm based in Austin, Texas, that develops small and medium-sized launch vehicles for commercial launches to orbit.

INFO WIKI

Related News

NASASpaceflight

Launch Roundup: Alpha, Spectrum, Electron, and Falcon 9 set to fly

The week ahead includes four launches scheduled for Wednesday and the third Electron rocket to… The post Launch Roundup: Alpha, Spectrum, Electron, and Falcon 9 set to fly appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

NASASpaceflight

Launch Roundup: SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and Firefly set to launch amid busy launch manifest

This week, a busy launch manifest will see SpaceX launch the Crew-10 and Starlink Group… The post Launch Roundup: SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and Firefly set to launch amid busy launch manifest appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Space Launch Complex 2W


Long March 2D
Success
2 days ago
4 x SatNet test satellites
Launch Area 4 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Officially described as "Satellite-Internet Technology Demonstration Satellites". Probable 4 test satellites for the Chinese state-owned LEO communic…


Falcon 9
Success
2 days, 2 hours ago
Fram2
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Fram2 is the world’s first astronaut mission to polar orbit. Named after the Norwegian polar research ship Fram, the Crew Dragon spacecraft will laun…


Falcon 9
Success
2 days, 8 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-80
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 28 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Spectrum
Failure
3 days, 18 hours ago
Maiden Flight
Orbital Launch Pad - Andøya Spaceport

First flight of the Isar Spectrum launch vehicle.


Long March 7A
Success
4 days, 12 hours ago
TJSW-16
201 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

Chinese classified satellite claimed to be for communication technology test purposes. Actual mission not known.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week ago
Starlink Group 11-7
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 27 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 3
Success
1 week ago
Tianlian 2-04
Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) - Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Tianlian is a Chinese data tracking and relay communications geostationary satellite series. The TL 2 (Tian Lian 2) satellites represent the second g…


Electron
Success
1 week ago
Finding Hot Wildfires Near You (OroraTech OTC-P1)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

8 satellites for a constellation of satellites developed by Orora Technologies (OroraTech) of Germany, with thermal infrared cameras that can provide…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
NROL-69
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Classified payload for the US National Reconnaissance Office


Ceres-1
Success
1 week, 5 days ago
Yunyao-1 43-48
Launch Area 95A - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

6 weather satellites performing atmospheric measurements using GNSS Radio Occultation for a Tianjin based company. Constellation is planned to have a…