{"id":9565,"date":"2026-05-04T18:44:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T10:44:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/lockheed-martin-joins-collaboration-with-firefly-aerospace-and-seagate-for-off-shore-launches\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T18:44:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T10:44:13","slug":"lockheed-martin-joins-collaboration-with-firefly-aerospace-and-seagate-for-off-shore-launches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/lockheed-martin-joins-collaboration-with-firefly-aerospace-and-seagate-for-off-shore-launches\/","title":{"rendered":"Lockheed Martin joins collaboration with Firefly Aerospace and Seagate for off-shore launches"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An artist\u2019s interpretation of a Firefly Aerospace rocket atop a Seagate Space Gateway Series spaceport. Graphic: Firefly Aerospace\/Seagate Space<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lockheed Martin is joining in the effort to support a sea-based approach for launching Firefly Aerospace\u2019s Alpha rocket. The 29.48-meter-tall (96.7 ft) rocket currently only launches from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.<\/p>\n

On Monday, Jonathan Caldwell, the vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin\u2019s Strategic and Missile Defense Systems, announced Lockheed Martin\u2019s participation in this proposal in a post on his LinkedIn profile on May 4. He said it was a fusion of Lockheed Martin\u2019s \u201clegacy\u201d in national security matters and \u201cthe innovative spirit\u201d of the comparatively much younger companies of Firefly Aerospace and Seagate Space.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe three companies will work together on mission\u2011application concepts and flight\u2011demonstration projects that leverage Seagate\u2019s Gateway offshore launch platform,\u201d Caldwell wrote. \u201cThis sea\u2011based launch facility, combined with Firefly\u2019s responsive Alpha launch vehicle, will provide rapid, flexible access to space from diverse locations, an essential capability for tactical payloads and national\u2011security missions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The inclusion of Lockheed Martin comes nearly a month after Seagate Space announced a memorandum of understanding with Firefly to create off-shore infrastructure for its Alpha rockets. It would use what it calls its Gateway Series, a \u201cpurpose-built offshore spaceport designed specifically for launch operations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPartnering with Firefly to align our Gateway platform with their Alpha vehicle is a major step toward making offshore launch a practical reality for the industry,\u201d said Sean Fortener, President & COO at Seagate Space, in a statement. \u201cWe\u2019re building a platform designed for mobility, responsiveness, and global access \u2013 key factors that complement our current launch infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Firefly Aerospace launches the Alpha FLTA004 rocket on the \u201cFly the Lightning\u201d mission on behalf of Lockheed Martin. Image: Firefly Aerospace \/ Trevor Mahlmann<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a statement to Spaceflight Now, Caldwell said Lockheed Martin wanted to direct some of its future payloads to this aquatic undertaking in order to support the needs of the Department of Defense.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith our mission understanding in missile defense and targets systems, we are well aware that our warfighter\u2019s operational requirements are rapidly evolving to stay ahead of growing adversarial threats,\u201d Caldwell said. \u201cA unique, mobile, sea-based launch platform like this \u2014 which is not dependent on the availability of a fixed, terrestrial launch location \u2014 provides not only increased rapid responsive launch capabilities but also can help alleviate some of the traffic pressure on current ground launch facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added:<\/p>\n

\u201cWith more than 70 percent of the Earth covered by water, that greatly increases our mission flexibility by taking advantage of the platform\u2019s mobility to generate multi-azimuth launch geometries driven today by limited availability for air launched target delivery and unconstrainted by typical land-based launch locations. Our payloads integrated with the Alpha rocket allow us to accelerate end-to-end delivery solutions for our customers that are focused on delivering effects at speed while leveraging commercial approaches.  We\u2019re involved in this project because it will get mission into the hands of our warfighters faster. Firefly\u2019s flexible Alpha rocket will help Lockheed Martin rapidly launch future spacecraft, including new payload technologies. With Seagate Space potentially making any ocean our launch pad, this collaboration could redefine responsive space operations.\u201d<\/p>\n

The collaboration between Lockheed and Firefly goes back a few years. Back in December 2023, Firefly launched its first mission for Lockheed, which was called \u2018Fly the Lightning.\u2019<\/p>\n

The payload, Lockheed\u2019s Electronically Steered Antenna (ESA), flew on the fourth Alpha rocket to date. However, Firefly failed to deliver the payload to the intended orbit due to \u201can error in the Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) software algorithm that prevented the system from sending the necessary pulse commands to the reaction control system (RCS) thrusters ahead of the stage two engine relight,\u201d according to Firefly in a post-mission analysis.<\/p>\n

The orbit into which the ESA payload was delivered as sufficient enough to allow Lockheed \u201cto successfully complete their primary mission objectives, including rapid commissioning of the satellite following insertion,\u201d Firefly said.<\/p>\n

About six months later, in June 2024, Firefly announced a 25-launch purchase from Lockheed using its Alpha rockets. Two of those missions took place on flights six and seven of the Alpha rocket, with the former resulting in an anomaly that caused Firefly to begin shifting to a Block 2 version of its rocket, beginning with some technology demonstrations with the seventh Alpha rocket launch in March 2026.<\/p>\n

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A rendering of Firefly Aerospace\u2019s Alpha Block 1 rocket configuration compared to the Block 2 configuration. Graphic: Firefly Aerospace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe collaboration further aims to accelerate the development of responsive launch solutions, delivering cutting\u2011edge technology that supports the warfighter\u2019s evolving operational requirements,\u201d Caldwell said on Monday. \u201cHaving a capability to address the growing need for speed and flexibility to launch payloads on tactical timelines from diverse locations is key to national security.\u201d<\/p>\n

This partnership is just one of Firefly\u2019s avenues into supporting the United States\u2019 national security endeavors. Also on Monday, ahead of its first quarter earnings call, Firefly announced that its subsidiary, SciTec, was one of 20 companies \u2014 including Lockheed Martin \u2014  <\/span>to receive an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement from the U.S. Space Force\u2019s Space Systems Command to support the burgeoning Space Based Interceptor (SBI) program.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re proud to contribute our proven AI-powered defense technologies to our nation\u2019s critical Golden Dome program and honored by the trust placed in our team,\u201d said David Simenc, SciTec\u2019s President on Monday in a statement. \u201cSciTec has always focused on delivering the technologies that strengthen decision advantage, and this agreement allows us to continue that work at a pivotal moment for national defense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Expanding beyond California<\/h4>\n

While the Alpha rocket currently only launches from Vandenberg, Firefly is working to bring its rockets beyond the Golden State. In June 2024, it announced two new launch sites were in the works.<\/p>\n

The first was a partnership with Northrop Grumman to allow its Alpha rockets to fly from Launch Pad 0A (LP-0A) at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) within the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The site will also be used for launches of the Antares 330, which uses a Firefly-built first stage, and later the medium-lift Eclipse rocket (formerly called the Medium Launch Vehicle).<\/p>\n

Days after the Wallops announcement, Firefly said it was working with the SSC Space (formerly the Swedish Space Corporation) to allow for Alpha rocket launches from the spaceport at the Esrange Space Center in Sweden. Firefly would use Launch Complex 3C for its missions.<\/p>\n

That capability was expected to come online in 2026, but in a March 2026 press release, SSC Space said that an agreement with the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration would allow for the \u201cexecution of satellite launches for the Swedish Armed Forces, as well as for partners and allies [\u2026] by 2028.\u201d<\/p>\n