Firefly Aerospace Is Six Days Away From The Second Alpha Launch
Firefly Aerospace has been working in overdrive as they get closer than ever to the second orbital launch attempt of Alpha. Just a few days ago marked the one year anniversary of Firefly’s first orbital test flight with the small-lift launch vehicle. While this first launch was not 100% successful, it provided the company with a lot of invaluable information they have been using to prepare for the upcoming launch.
Just six days from now Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket is scheduled to lift off from Vanderberg Space Force Base and reach orbit for the first time. The mission named “To The Black” is the combination of years of work and dedication from the entire Firefly team. In addition, the rocket will be carrying a few different payloads from various companies.
Reaching orbit for the first time is by no means an easy task. In the past, we have watched some of the now most successful companies within the industry fail multiple launches in a row before the first successful mission. Here I will go more in-depth into Firelfy’s upcoming launch attempt, the Alpha launch vehicle, past attempt, and more.
Launch In 6 Days
Over the past few weeks, Firefly Aerospace has been providing some of the final updates before the official second launch of Alpha. On August 17th the company tweeted saying, “Launch Update: After completing wet dress last week, we conducted a successful static fire today. Our launch is now scheduled for September 11th. Alpha Flight 2 is ready and headed #ToTheBlack. Stay tuned for more updates.” The rocket was integrated onto the pad in late July and since then has been going through a variety of tests in preparation for launch. Specifically, Alpha Flight 2, To The Black is Firefly’s second technology demonstration flight that will attempt to launch multiple satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO) from the company’s launch site (SLC-2) at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Alpha will first insert into an elliptical transfer orbit, coast to apogee, and perform a circularization burn. As highlighted before in Firefly’s Tweet, this mission is scheduled to happen only 6 days from now on September 11th at 3 p.m. PST.
Some of the payloads on board this flight include a Teachers In Space Cubesat expected to collect flight data during the mission and make it available to the educational community for analysis and comparison to data collected on other flights and vehicles. Also, a NASA Cubesat exo-brake that allows for de-orbit targeting through drag-modulation and deeper penetration into the atmosphere. There is definitely a lot more risk for the companies and agencies choosing to launch payloads on this mission but they are well aware.
This leads us to the launch vehicle itself and the launch complex working together in order to reach orbit for the first time. Alpha is trying to provide low-cost launch capability for small satellite customers at a price of $15M for dedicated commercial launch services. The rocket is trying to be the world’s most reliable, responsive, and operationally capable launch option within the small launch vehicle class. Alpha is a small-lift launch vehicle with a payload capacity to LEO of 1,170 kg. Alpha’s pump-fed, regeneratively-cooled engines use standard LOx/RP, and its avionics systems, such as the flight computer and communication system, employ COTS components with established flight heritage. In addition, modern advances in carbon composite materials are used to create strong, lightweight primary structures such as propellant tanks. Entirely manufactured and launched in the USA, Firefly points out they are able to keep costs to a minimum while achieving unprecedented dependability.
Taking a closer look at the propulsion, both stages use common designs: copper regen-cooled LOx/RP-1 thrust chambers, a simple tap-off cycle that drives single shaft turbopumps, nozzle-mounted turbine exhaust manifolds, and hydraulic actuators. The upper stage uses a single engine named Lightning, capable of producing around 70 kN of thrust in a vacuum. Down on the first stage, four “Reaver” engines produce around 731 kN of thrust working to propel the rocket out of Earth’s atmosphere. Consistent with the overall Alpha vehicle design, cost and performance are traded and optimized in Lightning and Reaver components to provide the best payload performance value. In terms of the rocket structure itself, Firefly utilizes advanced carbon-fiber composites for the entire airframe of Alpha, including the cryogenic propellant tanks. Firefly mentions that composite materials are ideally suited to launch vehicle structures due to their high strength, low density, and tailorable material properties. This allows Firefly Alpha to lift heavier payloads than a similar metal rocket. All of which will be put to the test in less than a week from now.
In addition to the rocket, the launch complex will play an important role in the upcoming launch. Firefly operates multiple dedicated launch facilities on the west and east coast of the US, at Vandenberg Space Force Base Space Launch Complex 2 and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Space Launch Complex 20. The second Alpha flight will take place at Vandenberg Space Force Base which is the same location as the previous launch. Firefly is confident that the multiple launch sites will enable flights as frequent as once per month by late 2022.
One final important update regarding this mission and Firefly Aerospace itself is the addition of a new CEO. Just a few days ago on September 1st Firefly tweeted saying, “We are excited to announce that Bill Weber, a long-time aerospace and defense executive, has joined Firefly as our new CEO.” In a recent quote, he said, “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to lead a company on the forefront of critical, leading-edge space transportation solutions, and I am honored to join the talented Firefly team. I respect and admire Firefly’s innovative corporate culture, which has led to its success, and I know that Firefly is poised to achieve great things. I look forward to collaborating with the Firefly and AEI teams at this critical juncture in the Company’s development.” As time goes on we will have to wait and see the path Firefly Aerospace takes and any changes, if any, this new leadership causes.
Alpha’s History
Now that we know more about the launch vehicle and some of the recent progress Firefly has made, we can take a closer look at the first flight of Alpha just over a year ago. This will give a good point of reference in terms of the company’s progress, what went wrong initially, and what we can expect in the coming days. On September 2nd, 2021, Firefly Aerospace conducted the maiden flight of its Alpha launch vehicle from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The test began with a nominal countdown and lift off at 6:59 PM PDT and achieved a successful first stage ignition, liftoff from the pad, and progression to supersonic speed. During the flight, the launch vehicle experienced an anomaly that resulted in a safe termination of flight by the Range using the Flight Termination System. An initial review of the flight data indicated that an electrical issue caused the shutdown of one of the four first stage Reaver engines.
While not a perfect launch, during the two minutes and twenty-five seconds of flight, Firefly obtained a substantial amount of flight data that was utilized to improve the design of future Alpha launch vehicles, including the second flight vehicle, which is six days away from launching.
At the time, CEO Tom Markusic stated, “Firefly has conducted the first test flight of our Alpha vehicle. The day marked a major advancement for the Firefly team, as we demonstrated that we ‘arrived’ as a company capable of building and launching rockets. Although the vehicle did not reach orbit, we acquired a wealth of flight data that will greatly enhance the likelihood of Alpha achieving orbit during its second flight. In short, we had a very successful first flight.” Markusic also stated, “Firefly has been incredibly fortunate to have partners that share our vision and passion. Early on, Max and I created the technological and business development roadmap – the first launch of Alpha being a hard-fought landmark achievement for the entire team.” He finished by saying, “The Alpha launch vehicle was developed by a world-class group of talented and dedicated technical directors.”
This brings us back to the present with Firefly’s second launch only six days away. It has been just over a year since the first launch and the company is very confident this time around. While an issue with one of the engines brought the first attempt to a fiery conclusion, the company has learned from its mistakes and applied this knowledge to the second Alpha launch vehicle.
Conclusion
Firefly Aerospace is just days away from the second launch of Alpha. Reaching orbit for the first time is an immensely difficult milestone that few companies and even agencies have successfully completed. Alpha is a small-lift launch vehicle meant to change how different companies access space. We will have to wait and see how it progresses and the impact it has on the space industry.