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Firefly Alpha ( Firefly α) is a two-stage orbital expendable small lift launch vehicle developed by the American company Firefly Aerospace to compete in the commercial small satellite launch market. Alpha is intended to provide launch options for both full vehicle and rideshare customers.
The first launch attempt was on 3 September 2021, but the vehicle did not reach orbit when one of the first stage rocket engine failed during ascent. A second orbital test flight took place on 1 October 2022 and successfully reached orbit. Alpha deployed 7 satellites. However, due to the lower-than-intended deployment orbit, most of the satellites re-entered before reaching their intended design life a week after launch. The first fully successful launch of Alpha took place on 15 September 2023.
In 2015, NASA's Launch Services Program awarded Firefly Space Systems, the predecessor to Firefly Aerospace, a US$5.5 million Venture Class Launch Services contract to incentivize the development of Alpha, as part of a program to enable easier space access for the small satellite market.
After the March 2017 bankruptcy of Firefly Space Systems and corporate reorganization to become Firefly Aerospace with new owners and capital, the Alpha launch vehicle was redesigned to a much larger rocket, over twice as much capacity as the Alpha design of 2014. The version 2 Alpha vehicle still utilizes two stages to orbit, but now both are in diameter and use RP-1/LOX propellants. The main body of the rocket is constructed using a lightweight carbon composite material.
In March 2018, Firefly said that the development of Alpha was expected to cost approximately US$100 million.
In 2024, Firefly Aerospace announced plans to use a Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) to integrate payloads at Wallops Island, Virginia.
The first test launch and Maiden flight of Firefly Alpha occurred on 3 September 2021 at 01:59 UTC, from a leased pad at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, and was to fly southwest over the Pacific Ocean. Due to an engine failure caused by a fuel valve electrical connector shearing approximately 15 seconds after the launch, the rocket lost control at Transonic approximately two and a half minutes after launch that resulted in manual activation of the Range safety and loss of the vehicle.
The launch vehicle had onboard various payloads as part of Firefly's DREAM mission—including Benchmark Space BSS1, Firefly Capsule 1, and PICOBUS (intending to deploy six ), Hiapo, Spinnaker3, and TIS Serenity —which were destroyed.
On 29 September 2025, the flight vehicle first stage planned for Alpha Flight 7 was destroyed in a ground test at the Firefly test facility in Briggs, Texas. The company has not yet completed an evaluation of how the test explosion may affect future launch cadence.
The Alpha airframe uses all carbon-fiber composite material in its construction. Using carbon-fiber makes the rocket more fuel efficient because the use of denser materials like titanium and aluminum would result in a heavier airframe, which would require more fuel to launch.
Alpha is also intended to be a direct American competitor in the small satellite market to India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), as the company believes that PSLV's ride-share capability threatens U.S. domestic launchers in this market.
Design
The Alpha first stage is powered by four Reaver Liquid oxygen / RP-1 tap-off cycle engines, Firefly Alpha-FLT001 livecast , Everyday Astronaut, 2 September 2021. delivering of thrust. The second stage is powered by one Lightning LOX / RP-1 engine, delivering of thrust with a specific impulse (Isp) of 322 seconds. Lightning 1 was test-run for nearly 5 minutes on 15 March 2018 during a long duration test fire on Firefly's Test Stand 1 in Briggs, Texas.
Intended usage
Alpha is designed to launch up to 1170 kg of payload to a 200 km low Earth orbit, or up to 745 kg payload to a 500 km Sun-synchronous orbit, suitable for and other small satellite. Primary payloads can be integrated by themselves or with a secondary payload, with vehicle capacity for up to 6 CubeSats. This allows Firefly's customers to have a dedicated small-satellite launcher, reducing the issues of ridesharing payloads and secondary payloads. These smaller satellites can have an orbit that is not determined by a larger payload and can launch on their own schedule instead of waiting on the readiness of all other payloads.
Launch sites
Firefly Aerospace is leasing Vandenberg pad SLC-2W to support Firefly Alpha and Eclipse launches; this launch pad formerly supported Delta, Thor-Agena, and Delta II launch vehicles launches. Additionally, Firefly holds a lease at Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 20 for low-inclination launches of Alpha in the future. Firefly is working with Northrop Grumman to use LP-0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virgina, and has plans for a launch site at the Esrange Space Center in Sweden. Launches from Virginia and Sweden are expected as soon as 2026.
Launch statistics
Launch sites
Launch outcomes
Launch history
3 September 2021
01:59Vandenberg, SLC-2W Various Retrograde orbit LEO Maiden flight of the Firefly Alpha; carrying various payloads as part of their DREAM mission. Due to an engine failure approximately 15 seconds after the launch, the rocket lost control at Transonic approximately two and a half minutes after launch that resulted in the activation of the Range safety and loss of the vehicle.
1 October 2022
07:01Vandenberg, SLC-2W TechEdSat (TES-15), TIS Serenity, PicoBus (deploying five ) Retrograde orbit LEO NASA Ames, SJSU, Teachers in Space, Inc., Libre Space Foundation, Fossa Systems, AMSAT "To The Black". First partially successful orbital launch, carrying educational payloads, including a hosted payload, Firefly Capsule 2. Alpha deployed 7 satellites; however, due to the lower than intended final deployment orbit (219 km x 279 km, intended 300 km), most of the satellites re-entered approximately a week after launch. 15 September 2023
02:28Vandenberg, SLC-2W VICTUS NOX Space Systems Command Tactically Responsive Space-3 (TacRS-3) mission to display rapid response launch capabilities — the payload was integrated and launched 27 hours after launch order were received from the customer. First fully successful launch of Alpha. Second stage performed a re-ignition for a controlled deorbit. VICTUS NOX decayed from orbit on 28 January 2025. 22 December 2023
17:32Vandenberg, SLC-2W Tantrum (Electronically Steerable Antenna Demo) Lockheed Martin "Fly the Lightning". Dedicated commercial launch, carrying a technology demonstrator payload for Lockheed Martin integrated on a Terran Orbital Nebula satellite bus. Stage 2 engine relight did not deliver the payload to its planned target orbit. Communications to the spacecraft were established and some mission operations took place. The satellite decayed on 10 February 2024 ~15:00. 4 July 2024
04:04Vandenberg, SLC-2W VCLS Demo-2FB NASA "Noise of Summer". NASA Venture Class Launch Services 2 (VCLS 2) Mission Two, officially known as VCLS Demo-2FB. The ELaNa 43 mission, consisting of eight CubeSats, launched on this flight. 29 April 2025 13:37 Vandenberg, SLC-2W LM 400 Demo Lockheed Martin "Message In A Booster". Carried an experimental satellite for Lockheed Martin in the first of 15 launches contracted through 2029, with options for 10 more. A mishap during stage separation damaged the second stage engine, substantially reducing thrust and preventing the payload from reaching orbital velocity. NET 4Q2025 Vandenberg, SLC-2W TacSat Lockheed Martin Second of 15 launches contracted by Lockheed Martin through 2029. Formerly slated to launch in 2Q2025. 2025 Vandenberg, SLC-2W Dedicated rideshare mission Spaceflight, Inc. Dedicated smallsat rideshare mission to low Earth orbit utilizing Firefly's Elytra Dawn orbital tug. 2025 Vandenberg, SLC-2W Satlantis EO Constellation Satlantis Satlantis earth observation satellite constellation. 2025 Vandenberg, SLC-2W EOS SAR 1 EOS Data Analytics First EOS synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) constellation satellite. February 2026 Vandenberg, SLC-2W QuickSounder NOAA First satellite in NOAA's Near Earth Orbit Network (NEON) Program. October 2026 MARS, LP-0A INCUS NASA Part of NASA's Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) program. First announced Alpha launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops. 2026 Vandenberg, SLC-2W L3Harris First of three dedicated launches for L3Harris. 2026 Vandenberg, SLC-2W L3Harris Second of three dedicated launches for L3Harris. 2026 Vandenberg, SLC-2W L3Harris Third of three dedicated launches for L3Harris.
See also
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