Firefly Aerospace (NASDAQ:FLY) successfully carried out its Alpha Flight 7 mission on March 11, launching from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 5:50 p.m. PDT, according to a company announcement.
The Alpha rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 2 and achieved orbital insertion, deploying a demonstration payload for Lockheed Martin. During the mission, the vehicle also performed a second-stage engine relight and tested several Alpha Block II upgrades, including a newly developed in-house avionics system and an enhanced thermal protection system.
“Alpha Flight 7 was flawlessly executed with all mission requirements completed,” said Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. The company said it implemented improvements across engineering, manufacturing, testing, integration and operations processes to strengthen quality and reliability.
The launch also served as a key validation step ahead of the planned full Block II configuration upgrade scheduled for Flight 8. Planned upgrades include extending Alpha’s length by 7 feet, consolidating batteries and avionics developed internally, improving the thermal protection system, and strengthening carbon composite structures produced using automated manufacturing equipment.
Founded in 2017, Firefly Aerospace operates engineering, manufacturing and testing facilities in central Texas. The company develops small- and medium-lift launch vehicles, lunar landers and orbital vehicles designed for missions ranging from low Earth orbit to the Moon.