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<\/p>\nAcross the world, several startup launch providers such as Relativity Space, Astra, Virgin Orbit, and others are currently in fierce competition with one another to bring their in-development rockets into operation and obtain a share of the ever-growing small satellite launch market.<\/p>\n
One of those companies \u2013 Texas-based Firefly Aerospace \u2013 has taken a substantial step in these efforts with the shipment of their first flight-ready vehicle to its launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.<\/p>\n
That vehicle is known as Alpha: a two-stage rocket that Firefly hopes to launch no earlier than 22 December from Space Launch Complex 2 West (SLC-2W). The company is aiming to deploy several small satellites into orbit during this flight as part of the Dedicated Research and Education Accelerator Mission (DREAM).<\/p>\n
Alpha itself will stand 29 meters (95 feet) tall when fully stacked and is said to be capable of delivering up to 1,000 kilograms (2,204 pounds) of payload to a low-inclination 200 kilometer orbit and 630 kilograms (1,388 pounds) to a 500 kilometer Sun-synchronous orbit.<\/p>\n
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Artist\u2019s impression of an Alpha rocket in flight \u2013 credit: Firefly Aerospace<\/p>\n
The rocket is powered by four \u201cReaver\u201d first stage engines and a single \u201cLightning\u201d second stage engine, both of which are fueled by RP-1 kerosene and liquid oxygen (LOX). These engines feature Firefly\u2019s \u201cCrossfire\u201d propellant injection system and a tap-off combustion cycle, in which hot gases from the combustion chamber are routed through the turbopump turbines and then exhausted.<\/p>\n
According to Firefly, the use of this engine cycle decreases engine complexity and cost while increasing the motor\u2019s overall reliability. The Reaver and Lightning engines will be the first RP-1\/LOX-fueled engines to fly using this cycle.<\/p>\n
The Flight 1 engines in particular are outfitted with additive manufactured parts, which were developed in cooperation with experienced engine manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne. The two companies will continue to develop components for future iterations of the Reaver and Lightning engines as part of an agreement that was signed in October 2019.<\/p>\n
The Alpha rocket\u2019s structure and propellant tanks are constructed out of carbon fiber composites, which has proven to be ideal for smaller launch systems due to the material\u2019s high strength and low density. One of Firefly\u2019s main competitors in the small satellite market, Rocket Lab, has successfully flown many of their Electron rockets that are built using these same materials.<\/p>\n
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An assortment of propellant tank hardware, used for Alpha development \u2013 credit: Firefly Aerospace<\/p>\n
Firefly has not yet flown with this hardware, but they successfully demonstrated its viability during qualification testing of Alpha\u2019s assorted components at their rocket development and test facility in Briggs, Texas.<\/p>\n
Since late 2017, dozens of static fire tests of the Reaver and Lightning engines have been conducted on a horizontal test stand in order to verify that the engines will perform at a nominal level during flight. The company has also constructed a vertical test stand at the facility, thereby allowing Firefly to conduct fully-integrated tests of rocket stages \u2013 including tanking tests, wet dress rehearsals, and firings.<\/p>\n
The Alpha Flight 1 second stage was subject to these kinds of tests throughout the end of 2018 and most of 2019, with the final qualification firing test completed in November of that year.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n