Latest news with #400TechnologyDemonstrator
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
California rocket launch: Firefly to investigate 'mishap' during test for Lockheed Martin
A rocket launch from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base did not go to plan after the spacecraft experienced a midair "mishap." Firefly Aerospace, the Texas-based spaceflight company that manufactured the rocket in question, said the issue prevented a prototype satellite owned by Lockheed Martin from reaching orbit following an early-morning takeoff April 29. Instead, the satellite crashed into the Pacific Ocean with part of the rocket. The failed mission was Firefly's sixth flight of its Alpha rocket, which it is developing for commercial launches to compete in a market long dominated by Elon Musk's SpaceX. The company also achieved a major victory earlier in 2025 when it landed a spacecraft on the moon in March as part of a mission funded by NASA. Firefly provided a live stream of the Tuesday, April 29, launch as its Alpha rocket ascended into low-Earth orbit following a takeoff at 6:37 a.m. PT from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Southern California. But during the webcast, several particles could be seen flying off the rocket during stage separation as the second stage propelled Lockheed's satellite further into space, Reuters reported. While the Lockheed satellite remained intact, a camera on the second stage showed its engine firing without its nozzle. The mission, known as "message in a booster," was the first of a planned 25 launches in the next five years under an agreement between Firefly and Lockheed Martin. The Alpha rocket's payload was a Lockheed demonstration satellite called LM 400 Technology Demonstrator, which is meant to advance space technologies for both commercial and military customers, like the Pentagon. 'Our customers have told us they need rapid advancement of new mission capabilities,' Bob Behnken, a director at Lockheed Martin Space, said in a statement at the time. 'This agreement with Firefly further diversifies our access to space, allowing us to continue quickly flight demonstrating the cutting-edge technology we are developing for them." The Alpha rocket itself is classified as a small-lift launch vehicle capable of carrying more than 2,200 pounds of cargo to orbit. Firefly said in a mission update that it will investigate the cause of the "mishap" with Lockheed Martin, the U.S. Space Force and the Federal Aviation Administration, which licenses commercial launches. Engineers believe the problem occurred during separation of Alpha's core stage booster with its second stage less than three minutes into the flight. The faulty separation "impacted the Stage 2 Lightning engine nozzle, putting the vehicle in a lower than planned orbit," Firefly wrote in an update on social media site X. In an afternoon update, Firefly said the loss of the nozzle reduced the engine's thrust, preventing the the upper stage from reaching orbit and causing it to crash into the Pacific Ocean north of Antarctica with the Lockheed satellite. Firefly made a name for itself earlier this year when its Blue Ghost lunar lander became the second-ever commercial spacecraft to make it to the surface of the moon. After launching Jan. 15, 2025, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the spacecraft managed to touch down about six weeks later on March 3 on the moon's Earth-facing side on a mission to deploy 10 NASA science instruments. The ensuing 14 days of surface operations were meant to help the U.S. space agency pave the way for humans to return in the years ahead under its Artemis program. This article has been updated to add new information. Contributing: Reuters Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Vandenberg launch: Firefly to investigate 'mishap' during rocket test
India Today
30-04-2025
- Science
- India Today
Video: Firefly's Alpha rocket fails, Lockheed's satellite crashes into ocean
Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket suffered a technical issue on Tuesday as it ascended into space on its sixth flight, causing a Lockheed Martin (LMT.N), opens new tab satellite it was supposed to place into orbit to crash into the Pacific two minutes following liftoff from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, the engine nozzle on Alpha's upper portion broke off in space moments after it attempted to separate from the rocket's core booster as designed, "substantially reducing the engine's thrust," Firefly typical rocket mishaps trigger explosions or on-board shutdown commands, Alpha's upper rocket body fired for several minutes and ascended to 320 km (200 miles) in altitude. But it failed to reach its intended orbit and was pulled back into the atmosphere by Earth's after compensating for the wiggle. Still pushing uphill. Not too sure if it's camera angle or there's a nozzle issue. NSF - (@NASASpaceflight) April 29, 2025 "The stage and payload have now safely impacted the Pacific Ocean in a cleared zone north of Antarctica," Firefly Alpha's ascent, a company livestream of the flight showed several pieces of debris flying off the rocket. On-screen altitude and speed data disappeared moments before, earlier than Tuesday's events, four of six Alpha flights since 2021 have failed. Firefly, which was able to achieve a breakthrough moon landing in March, is vying with a handful of similar upstarts seeking to build a launch business in a market dominated by Elon Musk's Alpha mission was the first under an agreement between Firefly and Lockheed for up to 25 flights through 2029. The satellite was self-funded by Lockheed and called LM 400 Technology Demonstrator, an effort to test technologies that Lockheed plans to sell to other customers, such as the Pentagon."Navigating risk and going fast are part of these self-funded demonstrations," a Lockheed spokesman said, adding that the satellite's production yielded insights that will benefit future 1-2 NSF - (@NASASpaceflight) April 29, 2025About an hour after the launch, Firefly posted on X that a mishap put "the vehicle in a lower than planned orbit," then deleted that statement. The company said it was working with Lockheed, the U.S. Space Force and Federal Aviation Administration to determine the root cause of the Alpha, Firefly hopes to fulfill demand from the U.S. Defense Department for launching national security payloads into space, particularly under tight timelines. The company had a successful launch in 2023 in a Space Force mission to demonstrate rapid-launch in 2014, Austin-based Firefly went bankrupt in 2017, changed ownership amid U.S. national security concerns in 2022, ousted its CEO over an inappropriate relationship in 2024 then landed on the moon on its first try in March.
CNA
29-04-2025
- Science
- CNA
Problem with Firefly's Alpha rocket puts Lockheed satellite in shallow orbit
WASHINGTON :Firefly Aerospace said the sixth mission of its Alpha rocket suffered a mishap in space after launching from California on Tuesday, putting a satellite owned by Lockheed Martin in a "lower than planned orbit," suggesting a potential mission failure. Firefly said the mishap occurred during separation of Alpha's core stage booster with its second stage roughly two and a half minutes after liftoff, which "impacted the Stage 2 Lightning engine nozzle, putting the vehicle in a lower than planned orbit." The company said it was working with Lockheed to determine the root cause of the failure. Lockheed did not immediately respond to a question on whether it believes its satellite could raise its orbit or otherwise survive the mishap. The mission was the first in a multi-mission agreement between Firefly and Lockheed, which had on board the rocket a self-funded satellite called LM 400 Technology Demonstrator, meant to advance space technologies and lower risk for Lockheed customers.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Problem with Firefly's Alpha rocket puts Lockheed satellite in shallow orbit
By Joey Roulette WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Firefly Aerospace said the sixth mission of its Alpha rocket suffered a mishap in space after launching from California on Tuesday, putting a satellite owned by Lockheed Martin in a "lower than planned orbit," suggesting a potential mission failure. Firefly said the mishap occurred during separation of Alpha's core stage booster with its second stage roughly two and a half minutes after liftoff, which "impacted the Stage 2 Lightning engine nozzle, putting the vehicle in a lower than planned orbit." The company said it was working with Lockheed to determine the root cause of the failure. Lockheed did not immediately respond to a question on whether it believes its satellite could raise its orbit or otherwise survive the mishap. The mission was the first in a multi-mission agreement between Firefly and Lockheed, which had on board the rocket a self-funded satellite called LM 400 Technology Demonstrator, meant to advance space technologies and lower risk for Lockheed customers.
