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April 30 (UPI) — A rocket from Firefly Aerospace, based in Texas, has crashed into the Pacific Ocean north of Antarctica after failing to achieve a successful low-Earth orbit mission for Lockheed Martin.
This latest mishap represents part of an ongoing series of failures associated with the Alpha rocket. Since its first launch in September 2021, Firefly has recorded two successful missions, two failures, and two partial failures.
The mission, named “Mission in a Booster,” launched in foggy conditions from Vandenberg Space Force’s SLC-2W at 6:37 a.m. PDT and managed to reach an altitude of 198.8 miles.
Following the separation of its two stages, the upper stage engine ignited and operated for over six minutes. According to reports from Ars Technica, Firefly initially flagged that the rocket had reached orbit, but this was later contradicted by further data.
Around thirteen minutes post-launch, the vehicle was scheduled to deploy its sole payload, but the company chose to end its live broadcast at this stage of the mission.
The problems began after the stages’ separation when the nozzle was reported to have malfunctions involving the Lightning engine on the upper stage.
Firefly Aerospace posted on X, stating, “Initial indications showed Alpha’s upper stage reached 320 km in altitude,” but later clarified that the stage had not achieved the necessary velocity for orbit, resulting in a safe descent into the Pacific in a designated area north of Antarctica.
Investigations are now underway involving Firefly, Lockheed Martin, the Space Force, and the Federal Aviation Administration.
The launch occurred a day later than planned due to “issues with ground support equipment.” Initially, the mission had been set for March but faced delays related to range availability at Vandenberg.
In a statement, Firefly acknowledged the contributions made by Lockheed Martin and emphasized its commitment to investigating the mission failure, stating, “The team is working closely with our customers and the FAA to conduct an investigation and determine root cause of the anomaly.”
Designed to assess new capabilities in orbit with SmartSat software, the mission was carrying Lockheed Martin’s LM 400 technology demonstrator.
Firefly’s rockets are specifically intended for economical rides for mid-sized satellites, with the capacity to carry up to 2,866 pounds at a cost of $15 million per launch.
The FLTA006 mission marked the second collaboration between Firefly and Lockheed Martin, part of a planned series of 25 launches over the coming five years.
In its initial launch attempt in September 2021, one of the four Reaver engines on Alpha shut down unexpectedly shortly after liftoff. The company described its inaugural mission in October 2022 as a success, even though it delivered satellites to an orbit lower than intended.
By September 2023, Alpha finally registered its first successful mission by placing a payload in orbit for Space Systems Command affiliated with the U.S. government.
However, in December 2023, the rocket faced another setback, positioning a Lockheed Martin satellite incorrectly due to a second-stage anomaly.
The following July, Firefly found success by launching eight CubeSats for NASA without issues.
Looking ahead, Firefly’s next mission for Lockheed Martin is anticipated in the second quarter of 2025.
Manufacturing and testing of Alpha are conducted at Firefly’s facility in Briggs, Texas, approximately 50 miles north of Austin.
Additionally, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost achieved a successful commercial lunar landing on March 2, carrying instruments for various NASA-led scientific projects after being launched on January 15 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.
Ultimately, Firefly aspires to launch its Alpha rockets from sites in Florida in the future.
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