Tag: Firefly Alpha
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Firefly Aerospace Launches Alpha Flight 7, Tests Block II Upgrades Ahead Of Next Mission
U.S. space and defense company Firefly Aerospace successfully launched its Alpha Flight 7 “Stairway to Seven” mission, sending a demonstrator payload for Lockheed Martin into orbit while testing upgrades planned for the rocket’s next configuration. The Firefly Alpha rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 5:50 p.m. PDT…
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Launch Preview: Vulcan launches USSF-87, SpaceX sends Crew-12 to ISS
The launch manifest is full this week, with eight launches scheduled from different launch sites worldwide. The week kicked off with a SpaceX Starlink mission on Wednesday, followed by a busy Thursday, during which five different rockets — including a Vulcan, a Proton, and the first Ariane 64 — launched. SpaceX and NASA are launching…
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Firefly advances production of Eclipse and Blue Ghost, announces Ocula imaging service
Firefly Aerospace is continuing to make good progress toward the debut of the company’s next-generation launch vehicle, Eclipse, in partnership with Northrop Grumman. Formerly known as MLV, or Medium Launch Vehicle, Firefly and Northrop Grumman announced the rocket’s new name on May 29. Firefly also announced Ocula, a new commercial lunar imaging service that will…
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Launch Roundup: China launches crew, Falcon 9 launches Bandwagon rideshare and 250th Starlink mission
This week, China has launched three taikonauts to the Tiangong space station. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 had four flights scheduled, with its third Bandwagon rideshare mission followed by three more Starlink missions, including its 250th dedicated Starlink flight. United Launch Alliance successfully launched its first batch of operational Kuiper satellites aboard an Atlas V 551 rocket.…
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Launch Roundup: Spectrum, Electron, and Falcon 9 fly missions
This week included three launches scheduled for Wednesday and the third Electron rocket to fly within 12 days. SpaceX kicked off the week with the launch of a classified mission on Monday. Two Starlink missions also flew alongside two others from China this week. Firefly Aerospace postponed the sixth flight of its Alpha rocket, following…
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Launch Roundup: Second half of 2024 begins with more launches from front runners US & China
Moving into the second half of 2024, the first week of July began with the third launch of the Japanese H3 rocket in the early hours of Monday morning UTC—covered in our previous launch roundup. The week ahead continued with one Starlink mission from SpaceX, pushing the number of Starlink satellites launched to over 6,700.…
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Launch Roundup: Virgin Galactic performs crewed suborbital mission; SpaceX launches Euclid
Four launches are planned for the week of June 24 to July 1. The Russians opened the launches, with a Meteor weather satellite riding a Soyuz rocket on Tuesday, June 27, while Virgin Galactic flew its Galactic 01 crewed suborbital mission Thursday, June 29. Firefly’s Alpha rocket was thought to be making its first operational…