Firefly Aerospace's operational two-stage orbital launch vehicle for dedicated small satellites, rideshare payloads, and hypersonic testing.
Alpha
Firefly Aerospace's operational two-stage orbital launch vehicle for dedicated small satellites, rideshare payloads, and hypersonic testing.
Description
Alpha is Firefly Aerospace's two-stage, expendable orbital launch vehicle built to deliver responsive, cost-effective access to space for dedicated small satellites, multi-payload rideshare missions, and hypersonic test flights. The vehicle uses patented tap-off cycle engines to reduce turbopump and plumbing complexity while improving reliability, and an airframe built from advanced carbon fiber composites with linerless cryogenic propellant tanks to minimize dry mass. Alpha is manufactured, integrated, and tested at Firefly's 'Rocket Ranch' facility in Texas and launches from U.S. spaceports. Its first stage is powered by four LOX/RP-1 Reaver engines, while a single Lightning engine powers the second stage, which can relight in orbit for multi-orbit deployments. Alpha has demonstrated rapid-response launch capability, notably the VICTUS NOX mission for the U.S. Space Force, in which the rocket was fueled, integrated, and launched with just 24 hours' notice — a first for a commercial orbital rocket. The vehicle has an active flight history including multiple missions (through at least Flight 7, which included a successful stage-two engine relight), positioning it as an operational, market-available small-to-medium payload launcher.
Specifications
| Overall length | 29.48 m (96.7 ft) |
|---|---|
| Fairing height | 5 m (16.4 ft) |
| Fairing diameter | 2.2 m (7.2 ft) |
| Number of stages | 2 |
| Propellant | LOX / RP-1 |
| Combustion cycle | Tap-off cycle |
| Stage 1 engines | 4x Reaver |
| Thrust | 801 kN vacuum (stage 1), 70.1 kN vacuum (stage 2) |
| Specific impulse | 295.6 s (stage 1), 322 s (stage 2) |
| Stage 2 engine | 1x Lightning (relightable) |
| Payload to LEO (300 km) | 1,030 kg |
| Payload to SSO (500 km) | 630 kg |
| Flight heritage | Multiple orbital flights through Flight 7, including the VICTUS NOX 24-hour responsive launch mission for the U.S. Space Force; Flight 7 included a successful stage-two engine relight |
