Firefly Alpha

Quick Facts About Firefly Alpha.

- Origin : United states.

- Manufacturer: Firefly Aerospace.

- Mass : 54,000 kg (119,000 lb).

- Length/Height : 29 m (95 ft).

- Diameter : 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in).

- Payload to LEO : 1,030 kg (2,270 lb).

- Payload to Sun-synchronous orbit : 630 kg (1,390 lb)

- Engines: First stage: 4 × Reaver 1 LOX / RP-1 tap-off cycle engines with 736 kN (165,000 lbf) of thrust . Second stage : 1 × Lightning 1 LOX / RP-1 engine, with 70.1 kN (15,800 lbf) of thrust.

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. A second orbital test flight took place on 1 October 2022 and successfully reached orbit. Alpha deployed 7 satellites, however, due to the lower than intended deployment orbit, most of the satellites re-entered before reaching their intended design life a week after launch. The first fully successful launch of Alpha took place on 15 September 2023.

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.