Firefly Rocket Fails to Reach Orbit with Lockheed Martin Satellite Bus

Insider Brief

• A Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket failed to reach orbit on April 29 after a second-stage ignition issue caused the upper-stage engine to lose thrust, sending the rocket and its Lockheed Martin payload into the Pacific Ocean.
• The mishap interrupted the debut mission of Lockheed Martin’s LM 400 Technology Demonstrator, a new satellite bus intended for military, commercial, and civil applications.
• The launch was the first in a five-year agreement between Firefly and Lockheed Martin covering up to 25 missions; an investigation with Lockheed, the Space Force, and FAA is underway to determine the root cause.

A Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket failed to reach orbit on April 29 after a problem during the rocket’s second-stage ignition, sending it and its payload, a Lockheed Martin satellite, into the ocean.

According to Firefly, the Alpha FLTA006 mission lifted off at 11:00 a.m. PDT from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base, but a mishap during the separation between the rocket’s first and second stages led to the loss of the nozzle extension on the upper-stage Lightning engine, substantially reducing its thrust.

“Initial indications showed Alpha’s upper stage reached 320 km in altitude,” the company noted in a statment. “However, upon further assessment, the team learned the upper stage did not reach orbital velocity, and the stage and payload have now safely impacted the Pacific Ocean in a cleared zone north of Antarctica.”

Firefly indicated the company is working with Lockheed Martin, the U.S. Space Force, and FAA to investigate and determine the cause.

“We recognize the hard work that went into payload development and thank our mission partners at Lockheed Martin for their continued support,” the company said.

According to Lockheed Martin and Firefly, the LM 400 Technology Demonstrator on board was designed to validate the performance of Lockheed Martin’s newest satellite bus, a modular mid-sized platform tailored for a range of military, civil, and commercial missions. The demo was part of Lockheed’s self-funded efforts to accelerate development of new technologies and prove system reliability for prospective customers.

The flight marked the first in a broader agreement between Firefly and Lockheed Martin, which includes up to 25 launches over five years.

Last week, on April 23, Firefly announced it had been awarded a contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Edwards Air Force Base to develop a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) nozzle extension for use in liquid rocket engines.