FLTA004 Fly the Lightning

Name: Firefly Alpha | FLTA004 Fly the Lightning
Start: 2023-12-22T17:32:00+00:00
End: 2023-12-22T17:48:00+00:00
Location: Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Firefly Alpha

Firefly Aerospace

Launch Status

Partial Failure

Fri • Dec 22nd, 2023
5:32 PM UTC

Weather Forecast During Launch

According to weather officials, there’s a 60% chance of favorable weather conditions at the time of the launch.

Mission

FLTA004 Fly the Lightning

Type: Technology
Orbit: Low Earth Orbit
Launch Cost: $15,000,000

Firefly’s Alpha rocket will launch Lockheed Martin’s new wideband Electronically Steerable Antenna (ESA) technology integrated on a Terran Orbital Nebula satellite bus. Developed within Lockheed Martin Space’s Ignite organization using a proprietary design, the ESA payload will demonstrate faster on-orbit sensor calibration to deliver rapid capabilities to U.S. warfighters.

Location

Space Launch Complex 2W

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Space Launch Complex 2W has witnessed the launch of 96 rockets, including 96 orbital launch attempts, while Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA, has been the site for 749 rocket launches.

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.

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.