Firefly Aerospace prepares for fifth Alpha rocket launch with NASA as customer Firefly Aerospace is set to launch its fifth Alpha rocket marking the first mission with NASA as its customer the two-stage 29 Point for8 M 96.7 ft tall rocket will deploy cubis SATs from multiple universities and NASA centers into a sun synchronous Earth orbit on Monday night the liftoff is scheduled for 9:03 p.m. PDT 12:03 a.m. EDT 0er 03 UTC from space launch complex 2 SLC minus 2 at Vandenburg space Force Base this Mission designated Alpha fl5 and nicknamed noise of summer is part of NASA's 9.8 million Venture class launch Services demo2 vcls demo2 contract awarded in December 2020 alongside Firefly asra space Inc and relativity space Inc were also awarded contracts to connect small Satellites with newer Rockets NASA's objective is to demonstrate the use of new launch vehicles for small satellites which can tolerate higher risks compared to larger missions this initiative is supported by NASA's science Mission director at Earth Science division in partnership with the launch services program LSP asra space Inc launched its vcls demo to Mission in February 2022 but it ended in Failure after stage separation relativity space Inc ended its Teran one rocket program before launching its bcls demo to Mission and aims to fly the mission using its Teran R rocket expected to debut in 20126 fireflies Alpha rocket was classified as category 1 by NASA and May indicating a high-risk profile due to its limited flight history this flight named Alana 43 educational launch of nanis satellit 43 carries eight cubis SATs under NASA's cubat launch initiative csli these cubesats come from various educational institutions and NASA centers aiming to demonstrate a range of Technologies and scientific studies the cubis ATS on board include asterisk asterisk cat at asterisk as asterisk University of Arizona demonstrates a Deployable antenna for high-speed Communications asterisk asterisk cub-1 asterisk asterisk University of Kansas details not specified asterisk asterisk meat T1 asterisk asterisk University of Maine studies temperatures to predict algal blooms in bodies of water asterisk asterisk our 5 S4 and our 5s2 2.0 as asterisk asterisk NASA's Johnson Space Center focus on building leaner cubesats asterisk asterisk Serenity asterisk asterisk teachers in space details not specified asterisk asterisk s so- i asterisk asterisk University of Washington details not specified asterisk asterisk Ted s 11 ts11 asterisk asterisk NASA's amus Research Center details not specified our five project manager Sam ped highlighted the importance of demonstrating new processes for developing highperformance cubis SATs rapidly and cost effectively Firefly's previous Alpha launch fly the lightning on December 22nd 2023 ended in partial failure due to an issue with the upper stage following an investigation Firefly identified a communication error within the gance navigation and control soft software despite this setback Firefly CEO Bill vber emphasized the company's commitment to maturing the alpha rocket lucked Martin recently invested in fireflies Alpha Rockets signing a multi-launch deal for 15 confirmed launches and up to 10 additional missions through 2029 the first of these Alpha FL ta6 is scheduled to launch later this year Firefly is set for a busy launch schedule in 2024 with plans for for Missions including real commercial and government contracts babber announced that Alpha FL ta07 will be the first to launch their Electra orbital vehicle in September or early October additionally Firefly has secured launch facilities in Virginia and Sweden the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Mars on wups Island Virginia will support both Alpha and the medium launch vehicle MLV from early 2025 aart partnership with the Swedish space Corporation SSC will enable launches from the estrange Space Center in Sweden starting in 2026 fireflies expansion includes a manufacturing facility at Exploration Park near NASA's Kennedy Space Center and a launch site at SLC minus 20 at Cape Canaveral space force station the ability to launch from multiple sites including Wallops is seen as a strategic Advantage especially for the ml V 's role in delivering cargo to the International Space Station Adam Oaks fireflies vice president of launch Vehicles emphasized the importance of resilient access to space and the cost competitiveness of their system compared to current Alternatives that's all for now from space ment don't forget to subscribe and follow us on social media for the latest space Earth and science updates Around the Clock oh