FLTA001 (Maiden Flight)

Mission

FLTA001 (Maiden Flight)

• Type: Test Flight
• Orbit: Low Earth Orbit
• Launch Cost: $15,000,000

First flight of the new Firefly Alpha small sat launcher developed by Firefly Aerospace. It will carry Firefly’s DREAM (Dedicated Research & Education Accelerator Mission), which includes various payloads like cubesats, personal items, pictures, DNA samples and more to inspire young people to pursue STEM education.

The launch vehicle was destroyed after reaching Max-Q, exact reason unknown yet.

Location

Space Launch Complex 2W

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Find the best place to watch the launch from Vandenberg

Space Launch Complex 2W has witnessed the launch of 98 rockets, including 98 orbital launch attempts. While Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA, has been the site for 810 rocket launches.

Vandenberg Space Force Base is a United States Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Established in 1941, Vandenberg Space Force Base is a space launch base, launching spacecraft from the Western Range, and also performs missile testing. The United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 30 serves as the host delta for the base, equivalent to an Air Force air base wing. In addition to its military space launch mission, Vandenberg Space Force Base also hosts space launches for civil and commercial space entities, such as NASA and SpaceX.

Rocket

Firefly Aerospace Firefly Alpha

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.

Learn more about the Firefly Alpha

Agency

Firefly Aerospace

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.