19.12.2023
Firefly rocket scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base this week
A launch by Firefly Aerospace is expected to take place at Vandenberg Space Force Base this week.
Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha FLTA004 rocket is scheduled to launch Wednesday, between 9:18 a.m. and 9:39 a.m.
According to base officials, the launch is being conducted by Space Launch Delta 30 Guardians, Airmen and Firefly Aerospace. The mission is called Fly the Lightning' and will launch a payload for Lockheed Martin.
U.S. Space Force Col. Bryan Titus, Space Launch Delta 30 vice commander, is the launch decision authority.
"At Vandenberg Space Force Base, our Space Launch Delta 30 Guardians and Airmen play a vital role in delivering robust spaceport capabilities that directly provide the 'to' part of U.S. Space Force’s mission to secure our Nation's interests in, from, and to space," Titus said. "Our commercial launch partners serve as our invaluable industrial base, enabling us to achieve robust national security objectives in support of the entire Joint Force.”
Quelle: KSBY6
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FIREFLY ALPHA LAUNCH SCHEDULED
VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. --
Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha FLTA004 rocket is scheduled to launch Wednesday, Dec. 20, between the hours of 9:18 and 9:39 a.m. Pacific Time from Vandenberg Space Force Base, conducted by Space Launch Delta 30 Guardians, Airmen and Firefly Aerospace. The mission, called Fly the Lightning, will launch a payload for Lockheed Martin.
U.S. Space Force Col. Bryan Titus, Space Launch Delta 30 vice commander, is the launch decision authority.
"At Vandenberg Space Force Base, our Space Launch Delta 30 Guardians and Airmen play a vital role in delivering robust spaceport capabilities that directly provide the “to” part of U.S. Space Force’s mission to secure our Nation's interests in, from, and to space," Titus said. "Our commercial launch partners serve as our invaluable industrial base, enabling us to achieve robust national security objectives in support of the entire Joint Force.”
Quelle: United States Space Force
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Update: 21.12.2023
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Live coverage: Firefly Aerospace stands down from its 4th Alpha rocket launch due to poor weather
Firefly Aerospace is aiming to launch its fourth Alpha rocket to date before the end of 2023. The ‘Fly the Lightning’ mission will launch a satellite from Lockheed Martin using a satellite bus built by Terran Orbital. Image: Firefly Aerospace
Firefly has rescheduled the launch of its Alpha rocket for Friday, Dec. 22 at 9:18 a.m. PST (12:18 EST / 1718 UTC).
The mission will launch from Space Launch Complex-2 (SLC-2) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Southern California
Onboard the rocket is a satellite built by Lockheed Martin, which is designed "to demonstrate rapid delivery of on-orbit capabilities for U.S. warfighters." The payload is being hosted on a Terran Orbital Nebula small satellite bus.
Following in the footsteps of the rapid response Alpha FLTA003 mission, Victus Nox, Firefly also has a secondary objective of transporting the payload fairings to the launchpad and mating them with the rocket within just hours of launch.
As such, the mission is being observed by a team from the U.S. Space Force Tactically Responsive Space team.
“Through the Victus Nox demonstration, the Space Force proved the United States can rapidly respond to national security threats in space on an unprecedented timeline,” said Lt. Col. Justin Beltz, Materiel Leader and Chief of the Small Launch and Targets Division of the U.S. Space Force in a statement. “We’re now focused on transforming Tactically Responsive Space from a groundbreaking achievement into a repeatable capability. By partnering with Firefly to observe Alpha FLT004, we can continue to build synergy with commercial industry and further define the training, infrastructure, and operational requirements for long-term repeatability.”
Weather for Wednesday's launch attempt is 30 percent favorable for liftoff, according to Firefly. At 6:18 a.m. PST (9:18 a.m. EST, 1418 UTC), the company stated that it was loading liquid oxygen onto the rocket.
The Alpha rocket is powered by a combination of both liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene, commonly referred to as RP-1. It stands 29.48m (96.7 ft) tall and its first stage is powered by four Reaver engines.
Quelle: SN
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Update: 23.12.2023
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Firefly Aerospace launches Lockheed Martin satellite on the 'Fly the Lightning' mission
Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket launched the "electronically steerable antenna (ESA) payload developed by aerospace giant Lockheed Martin to low Earth orbit" on Dec. 22, 2023
Quelle: Firefly