Engineering:Firefly Alpha

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Short description: Two-stage operational orbital rocket
Firefly Alpha
Firefly Alpha Diagram.svg
ManufacturerFirefly Aerospace
Country of originUnited States
Cost per launchUS$15 million
Size
Height29 m (95 ft)
Diameter1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Mass54,000 kg (119,000 lb)
Stages2
Capacity
Payload to low Earth orbit1,000 kg (2,200 lb) [1]
Payload to Sun-synchronous orbit630 kg (1,390 lb)
Launch history
StatusActive
Launch sitesVandenberg SLC-2W,[2][3] Cape Canaveral SLC-20[4]
Total launches2
Successes1
Failures1
Partial failures0
First flight3 September 2021 [5]
Last flight1 October 2022, To The Black
First stage
Diameter1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Engines4 × Reaver 1
Thrust736.1 kN (165,500 lbf)
Specific impulse295.6 s (2.899 km/s)
FuelRP-1 / LOX
Second stage
Diameter1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Engines1 × Lightning 1
Thrust70.1 kN (15,800 lbf)
Specific impulse322.0 s (3.158 km/s)
FuelRP-1 / LOX

Firefly Alpha (Firefly α) is a two-stage orbital expendable launch vehicle developed by the American company Firefly Aerospace to compete in the commercial small satellite launch market. Alpha is intended to provide launch options for both full vehicle and rideshare customers.[1]

The first launch attempt was on 3 September 2021 but the vehicle did not reach orbit when one of the first stage engines failed during ascent.[6] A second orbital test flight took place on 1 October 2022 and successfully reached orbit.[7]

History

The initial 2014-vintage design of Alpha was two-stage-to-orbit vehicle with the first stage powered by an FRE-2 methalox engine, which consisted of twelve nozzles arranged in an aerospike configuration.[8] The engine used methane and liquid oxygen as propellants, and completed a full-duration combustor test in September 2016.[9] The second stage was to be propelled by the FRE-1 engine[clarification needed], which was to use a conventional bell nozzle. This version of Alpha was intended to carry 400 kg to low Earth orbit.[10][11]

In 2015, NASA's Launch Services Program awarded Firefly Space Systems, the predecessor to Firefly Aerospace, a US$5.5 million Venture Class Launch Services contract to incentivize the development of Alpha to enable easier space access for the small satellite market.[12][13][clarification needed]

After the March 2017 bankruptcy of Firefly Space Systems[14] and corporate reorganization to become Firefly Aerospace with new owners and capital,[4] the Alpha launch vehicle was redesigned to a much larger rocket, over twice as much capacity as the Alpha design of 2014. The version 2 Alpha vehicle still utilizes two stages to orbit, but now both are 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) in diameter and use RP-1/LOX propellants.[15] The main body of the rocket is constructed using a lightweight carbon composite material.[3]

In March 2018, Firefly said that the development of Alpha was expected to cost approximately US$100 million.[16]

Firefly Aerospace planned[when?] to use a Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) to integrate payloads.[3]

The first test launch and Maiden flight of Firefly Alpha occurred on 3 September 2021 at 01:59 UTC,[5][17] from a leased pad at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California , and was to fly southwest over the Pacific Ocean.[18] Due to an engine failure approximately 15 seconds after the launch, the rocket lost control at transonic speeds approximately two and a half minutes after launch that resulted in the activation of the flight termination system and loss of the vehicle.[6][19][6] The launch vehicle had onboard various payloads as part of Firefly's DREAM mission[20]—including Benchmark Space BSS1, Firefly Capsule 1, and PICOBUS[21] (intending to deploy six PocketQubes), Hiapo, Spinnaker3, and TIS Serenity[22][23]—which were destroyed. Firefly's experimental Space Utility Vehicle (SUV) third stage was also onboard this flight.

Design

The Alpha first stage is powered by four Reaver 1 LOX / RP-1 tap-off cycle engines,[24] delivering 736 kN (165,000 lbf) of thrust. The second stage is powered by one Lightning 1 LOX / RP-1 engine, delivering 70.1 kN (15,800 lbf) of thrust with a specific impulse (Isp) of 322 seconds.[15] Lightning 1 was test-run for nearly 5 minutes on 15 March 2018 during a long duration test fire on Firefly's Test Stand 1 in Briggs, Texas.[16][25]

The Alpha airframe uses all carbon-fiber composite material in its construction. Using carbon-fiber makes the rocket more fuel efficient because the use of denser materials like titanium and aluminum would result in a heavier airframe, which would require more fuel to launch.[16]

Intended usage

Alpha is designed to launch up to 1170 kg of payload to a 200 km low Earth orbit, or up to 745 kg payload to a 500 km Sun-synchronous orbit, suitable for CubeSats and other small payloads.[15] Primary payloads can be integrated by themselves or with a secondary payload, with vehicle capacity for up to 6 CubeSats.[1][3] This allows Firefly's customers to have a dedicated small-satellite launcher, reducing the issues of ridesharing payloads and secondary payloads. These smaller satellites can have an orbit that is not determined by a larger payload and can launch on their own schedule instead of waiting on the readiness of all other payloads.[citation needed]

Alpha is also intended to be a direct American competitor in the small satellite market to India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), as the company believes that PLSV's ride-share capability threatens U.S. domestic launchers in this market.[26]

Launch sites

Firefly Aerospace is leasing Vandenberg pad SLC-2W to support Firefly Alpha and Beta launches; this launch pad formerly supported Delta, Thor-Agena, and Delta II launch vehicles launches.[2] Additionally, Firefly plans to use[when?] Cape Canaveral SLC-20.[4]


Launch history

Date and time, UTC Rocket,
configuration 		Launch site Payload Orbit Customer Outcome
3 September 2021
01:59[5][18] 		Firefly Alpha / SUV Vandenberg SLC-2W destroyed in flight target: LEO (300 km circular, 137° inclination) Failure[19]
Maiden flight of the Firefly Alpha; carrying various payloads as part of their DREAM mission.[20] Due to an engine failure approximately 15 seconds after the launch, the rocket lost control at transsonic speed approximately two and a half minutes after launch that resulted in the activation of the flight termination system and loss of the vehicle.[6]
1 October 2022
07:01[27] 		Firefly Alpha Vandenberg SLC-2W TechEdSat-15 (TES-15), TIS Serenity, PicoBus (deploying five PocketQubes) LEO (300 km circular, 137° inclination) NASA Ames, SJSU, Teachers in Space, Inc., Libre Space Foundation, Fossa Systems, AMSAT-EA Success[28]
"To The Black". First successful orbital launch, carrying more deployable educational payloads.
29 November 2022[29] Firefly Alpha Vandenberg SLC-2W TBA
SSO
 NASA
NASA Venture Class Launch Services 2 (VCLS 2) Mission Two, officially known as VCLS Demo-2FB. The ELaNa 43 mission, consisting of 11 CubeSats, will launch on this flight.[30][31]
2023[32][33] Firefly Alpha Vandenberg SLC-2W OTB-2 / MAIA
SSO
 GA-EMS / JPL
Orbital Test Bed 2 (OTB-2) hosts the MAIA instrument for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
2023[32][34] Firefly Alpha Vandenberg SLC-2W Dedicated rideshare mission
LEO
 Spaceflight, Inc.
Dedicated smallsat rideshare mission to low Earth orbit.
2023[32][35] Firefly Alpha Vandenberg SLC-2W Satlantis EO Constellation
LEO
 Satlantis
Satlantis earth observation satellite constellation.
2023[36][37] Firefly Alpha Vandenberg SLC-2W EOS SAR 1
SSO
 EOS Data Analytics
First EOS SAR radar constellation satellite.
Early 2024[38] Firefly Beta Vandenberg SLC-2W TBA TBA
Maiden flight of the Firefly Beta

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Firefly Alpha". http://www.fireflyspace.com/vehicles/firefly-a. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Clark, Stephen (2 May 2018). "Firefly's commercial satellite launcher to use Delta 2 pad at Vandenberg". Spaceflight Now. https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/05/02/fireflys-commercial-satellite-launcher-to-use-delta-2-pad-at-vandenberg/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Firefly Alpha Payload User's Guide". https://firefly.com/wp-content/themes/firefly_aerospace/files/Alpha%20PUG_20190830_Final_3.pdf. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Grush, Loren (22 February 2019). "Resurrected Firefly Aerospace will take over a launch site at busy Florida spaceport". The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/22/18234604/firefly-aerospace-cape-canaveral-florida-launch-site-slc-20. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Kordina, Florian (27 August 2021). "FLTA001 DREAM | Alpha". Everyday Astronaut. https://everydayastronaut.com/flta001-dream-alpha/. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Firefly's Alpha rocket explodes on inaugural test launch". Spaceflight Now. 3 September 2021. https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/09/03/fireflys-alpha-rocket-explodes-on-inaugural-test-launch/. 
  7. ↑ "Watch Firefly's Second Orbital Launch Attempt Of Their Alpha Rocket!". Everyday Astronaut. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BntCkCRc55c. 
  8. ↑ Szondy, David (13 July 2014). "Firefly Space Systems unveils Alpha launch vehicle design with aerospike engine". New Atlas. https://newatlas.com/firefly-alpha-aerospike-launch-vehicle/32892/. 
  9. ↑ Henry, Caleb (29 September 2016). "Firefly Alpha Rocket Combustor Completes Full Mission Duty Cycle Test". Satellite Today. https://www.satellitetoday.com/business/2016/09/29/firefly-alpha-rocket-combustor-completes-full-mission-duty-cycle-test/. 
  10. ↑ Werner, Debra (23 November 2015). "Firefly Aims To Build the "Model T of Rockets"". SpaceNews. http://spacenews.com/building-the-model-t-of-rockets/. 
  11. ↑ Krebs, Gunter. "Firefly". https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/firefly.htm. 
  12. ↑ Wistrom, Brent (October 14, 2015). "This Cedar Park Rocket Company Just Nabbed a US$5.5 Million NASA Contract". AustinInno. https://www.americaninno.com/austin/firefly-space-system-wins-nasa-contract-for-cubesat-launches-in-2018/. 
  13. ↑ "NASA Awards Venture Class Launch Services Contracts for CubeSat Satellites". NASA. 14 October 2015. https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-awards-venture-class-launch-services-contracts-for-cubesat-satellites.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  14. ↑ "Firefly Space Systems assets to be sold". SpaceNews. 15 March 2017. http://spacenews.com/firefly-space-systems-assets-to-be-sold/. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "Alpha : Economical Small Satellite Launch". 1 October 2022. https://firefly.com/alpha/. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Richardson, Derek (March 17, 2018). "Firefly Aerospace demos its Lightning 1 engine". Spaceflight Insider. http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/missions/commercial/firefly-aerospace-demos-its-lightning-1-engine-to-sxsw-crowd/. 
  17. ↑ Foust, Jeff (24 August 2021). "Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket ready for first launch". SpaceNews. https://spacenews.com/firefly-aerospaces-alpha-rocket-ready-for-first-launch/. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Neal, Mihir (2 September 2021). "Firefly Aerospace's maiden flight of Alpha launch vehicle ends in failure". NASASpaceFlight. https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/09/firefly-maiden-flight-alpha/. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Foust, Jeff (2 September 2021). "Firefly Alpha explodes during first launch". SpaceNews. https://spacenews.com/firefly-alpha-explodes-during-first-launch/. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Berger, Eric (17 June 2019). "Firefly opens first Alpha rocket launch to academic and educational payloads". Ars Technica. https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/06/firefly-opens-first-alpha-rocket-launch-to-academic-and-educational-payloads/. 
  21. ↑ "PICOBUS". https://libre.space/projects/picobus/. 
  22. ↑ "Firefly Alpha First Launch Payloads". NOAA—National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service. 3 January 2020. https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/CRSRA/files/firefly-aerospace.pdf. 
  23. ↑ "TIS Serenity Publicly-Releasable Summary of Licensed System". Teachers in Space, Inc.. NOAA. 19 March 2020. https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/CRSRA/pdf/TIS-Serenity-Public-Release-19-Mar-2020.pdf.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  24. ↑ Firefly Alpha-FLT001 livecast, Everyday Astronaut, 2 September 2021.
  25. ↑ Nojas, Charmagne (March 18, 2018). "Firefly Aerospace Makes A Comeback With Lightning 1 Engine Demo In Texas". TechTimes. http://www.techtimes.com/articles/223210/20180318/firefly-aerospace-makes-a-comeback-with-lightning-1-engine-demo-in-texas.htm. 
  26. ↑ Foust, Jeff (21 August 2017). "Small rockets, new and renewed". The Space Review. http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3311/1. 
  27. ↑ "FLTA002 - Alpha Flight 2 - To The Black". Firefly Aerospace. 30 September 2022. https://firefly.com/alpha-flight-2-to-the-black/. 
  28. ↑ "3 payloads have been deployed successfully, and customers have confirmed acquisition of signal". Firefly Twitter. https://twitter.com/Firefly_Space/status/1576128427144654848?cxt=HHwWgMDRxYWdxN8rAAAA. 
  29. ↑ "Vandenberg SFB Launch Schedule". Space Archive. 16 September 2022. https://www.spacearchive.info/vafbsked.htm. 
  30. ↑ Higginbotham, Scott (9 August 2021). "CubeSat Launch Initiative – Upcoming Flights". NASA. p. 3. https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/15.higginbotham_nasa_town_hall_2021_smallsat-csli.pdf. 
  31. ↑ Foust, Jeff (12 December 2020). "Three companies win NASA small launch contracts". SpaceNews. https://spacenews.com/three-companies-win-nasa-small-launch-contracts/. 
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 Foust, Jeff (17 July 2022). "Firefly gears up for second Alpha launch". SpaceNews. https://spacenews.com/firefly-gears-up-for-second-alpha-launch/. 
  33. ↑ Baylor, Michael. "Firefly Alpha - MAIA". Next Spaceflight. https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/6867. 
  34. ↑ baylorm, Michael. "Firefly Alpha - Spaceflight Industries Rideshare". Next Spaceflight. https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/6866. 
  35. ↑ Etherington, Darrell (4 February 2020). "Rocket startup Firefly signs satellite constellation launch mission with Satlantis". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2020/02/04/rocket-startup-firefly-partners-signs-satellite-constellation-launch-mission-with-satlantis/. 
  36. ↑ "Technology – EOSSAR". EOS Data Analytics. https://eossar.com/technology/. 
  37. ↑ Werner, Debra (22 October 2019). "Noosphere Venture campaign begins coming together with radar constellation". SpaceNews. https://spacenews.com/noosphere-venture-campaign-begins-coming-together-with-radar-constellation/. 
  38. ↑ Foust, Jeff (27 January 2021). "Firefly Aerospace seeking to raise US$350 million". SpaceNews. https://spacenews.com/firefly-aerospace-seeking-to-raise-350-million/. 




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