Firefly Alpha

The initial 2014-vintage design of Alpha was two-stage-to-orbit vehicle with the first stage powered by an FRE-2 methalox engine, which consisted of twelve nozzles arranged in an aerospike configuration.^[16] The engine used methane and liquid oxygen as propellants, and completed a full-duration combustor test in September 2016.^[17] The second stage was to be propelled by the FRE-1 engine^{[clarification needed]}, which was to use a conventional bell nozzle. This version of Alpha was intended to carry 400 kg to low Earth orbit.^[18][19]

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.^{[20][21][clarification needed]}

After the March 2017 bankruptcy of Firefly Space Systems^[22] and corporate reorganization to become Firefly Aerospace with new owners and capital,^[6] 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 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) in diameter and use RP-1/LOX propellants.^[2] The main body of the rocket is constructed using a lightweight carbon composite material.^[4]

In March 2018, Firefly said that the development of Alpha was expected to cost approximately US$100 million.^[23]

In 2024, Firefly Aerospace announced plans to use a Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) to integrate payloads at Wallops Island, Virginia.^[4][24]

The first test launch and Maiden flight of Firefly Alpha occurred on 3 September 2021 at 01:59 UTC,^[8][25] from a leased pad at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, and was to fly southwest over the Pacific Ocean.^[26] 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 speeds approximately two and a half minutes after launch that resulted in manual activation of the flight termination system and loss of the vehicle.^[10][27][28] The launch vehicle had onboard various payloads as part of Firefly's DREAM mission^[29]—including Benchmark Space BSS1, Firefly Capsule 1, and PICOBUS^[30] (intending to deploy six PocketQubes), Hiapo, Spinnaker3, and TIS Serenity^[31][32]—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.^[33]

The Alpha first stage is powered by four Reaver LOX / RP-1 tap-off cycle engines,^[34] delivering 736 kN (165,000 lb_f) of thrust. The second stage is powered by one Lightning LOX / RP-1 engine, delivering 70.1 kN (15,800 lb_f) of thrust with a specific impulse (I_sp) of 322 seconds.^[2] 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.^[23][35]

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.^[23]

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.^[3] Additionally, As of September 2024^[update] Firefly holds a lease at Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 20 for low-inclination launches of Alpha in the future.^[6][38] Firefly is working with Northrop Grumman to use LP-0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia, and has plans for a launch site at the Esrange Space Center in Sweden.^[38] Launches from Virginia and Sweden are expected as soon as 2026.^[39]

Future launches are listed chronologically when firm plans are in place. The order of the later launches is much less certain. Launches are expected to take place "no earlier than" (NET) the listed date.

• Rocket Lab Electron
• Vega – European Space Agency launch system
• Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle – Indian expendable launch vehicle
• Small Satellite Launch Vehicle – Indian small-lift launch vehicle
• Small-lift launch vehicle