Firefly Aerospace

Firefly Aerospace sent its Alpha rocket to orbit for the fourth time ever this morning, with the company carrying a payload from Lockheed Martin to space. However, the company has yet to update the public on whether it successfully deployed the satellite to its destination orbit – which could suggest an issue with the rocket’s second stage. Today’s launch marks the fourth-ever flight of Firefly’s Alpha rocket. The vehicle took off from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base at 9:32 AM local time. The mission,…

It was a jaw-dropping year for the space industry, and while we all know by now that progress isn’t linear, we feel pretty confident that 2024 will be even more astonishing. This year was tough for many space companies, and we aren’t trying to paper that over with our optimism. The world of zero-interest-rate policy, or ZIRP, officially ended; cash got more expensive and fundraising became more challenging. Nevertheless, 2023 also produced a number of tailwinds that we think will make next year one of the most…

What happens when a satellite gets destroyed in orbit? Typically, weeks, months, or even years of planning and logistics precede the launch of a replacement. However, Space Force has hatched a plan to ambitiously cut that time down to a mere 24 hours, and the latest test of that plan could happen any minute.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewAccording to the Space Force FAQ, the newest military branch exists to organize, train, and equip space forces “in order to protect U.S. and…

The U.S. Space Force has submitted a budget for the upcoming fiscal year, and in it the military branch is asking for $60 million over the next two years for tactically responsive space, which could see Space Force partners launching satellites within a 24 hour window.Congress tasked the Department of Defense with planning for tactically responsive space in August 2021, and Space News points out, this is the first time the Defense Department’s budget has specifically requested funding for specific initiative. Earlier…

NASA on Tuesday said it had picked U.S. rocket builder Firefly Aerospace to put a lander on the moon's far side in 2026, under a nearly $112 million contract."The commercial lander will deliver two agency payloads, as well as communication and data relay satellite for lunar orbit, which is an ESA (European Space Agency) collaboration with NASA," the U.S. space agency said. The contract is part of the Artemis program's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative - an effort to deploy privately built lunar landers…

Texas-based Firefly has been tasked with placing a lunar lander on the far side of the Moon, where it will drop off a pair of communications experiments.NASA selected Firefly Aerospace to deliver multiple lunar payloads in 2026 under a $112 million contract, Firefly announced on Wednesday. The company will use its Blue Ghost spacecraft to place a European communications satellite in lunar orbit before delivering the two NASA payloads on the far side of the Moon as part of the space agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload…

An artist’s impression of the CatSat and beachball-esque antenna, which features a clear bottom half and a reflective, aluminum-coated top half that will reflect data down to Earth. Illustration: FreeFall AerospaceIn an attempt to optimize communication in space across vast distances, a team of researchers from the University of Arizona will rely on a unique antenna for CatSat, a small satellite that will study the ionosphere. The antenna resembles a space-age beachball that can beam information to Earth at high…

Rocket maker FireFly Aerospace is seeking up to $300 million in a private fundraising round. FireFly Aerospace, the U.S. rocket builder that reached orbit in space this month, joining the likes of SpaceX and Rocket Lab, is seeking up to $300 million in a private fundraising round, according to people familiar with the matter. Firefly has yet to specify the valuation it is seeking, the sources said. The space company was valued at more than $1 billion when private equity firm AE Industrial Partners became its…

Alpha deployed small satellites into orbit about an hour after liftoff.Image: Firefly AerospacePrivate space company Firefly finally reached orbit with its Alpha rocket, joining a short list of U.S. commercial rocket builders that have successfully launched a vehicle to orbit amidst a growing space industry. Alpha lifted off on Saturday at 3:01 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. About eight minutes after launch, the rocket’s upper stage reached orbit. The upper stage then…

The Alpha rocket exploded shortly after liftoff in 2021. Photo: Len Wood (AP)Firefly Aerospace is gearing up for another go at launching its Alpha rocket, hoping that the small-lift launch vehicle makes it to orbit this time after a fiery first attempt last year. The Texas-based company is aiming for an orbital launch attempt on Monday at 6 p.m. ET, and the test flight will be streamed live. You can tune in to watch the liftoff through Firefly’s website or via the feed below.The 95-foot-tall (29-meter) rocket is set to …