Firefly Alpha | FLTA006 (Message in a Booster)
Launch information
Favourite EmbedMission description
Sixth flight of the Firefly Alpha small satellite launcher, launching the demonstration mission for Lockheed Martin's new LM400 satellite bus, which will carry a communications payload. The satellite bus is customizable to support different missions, including remote sensing, communications, imagery and radar Earth observations. It can also support different kinds of orbits and launch configurations.
Launch status
Launch status information for space mission ‘Firefly Alpha | FLTA006 (Message in a Booster)’.
Failure
Status: Launch Failure
Class: normal
Fail Reason: Problem during stage separation and second stage ignition caused disintegration of the separated 1st stage and the loss of the Lightning engine nozzle extension on the 2nd stage, substantially reducing the engine’s thrust. 2nd stage reached 320 km in altitude but did not reach orbital velocity, eventually impacted the Pacific Ocean north of Antarctica.
Launch T0: April 29, 2025, 1:37 p.m.
Timezone: America/Los_Angeles
Launch authority
Details about the the rocket, its target orbit and the launch pad location.
Mission |
FLTA006 (Message in a Booster) (LEO) |
|---|---|
Launcher |
Firefly Aerospace |
Rocket |
Firefly Alpha |
Location |
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA |
Pad |
Space Launch Complex 2W |
Type |
Technology |
Orbit |
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) |
Satellites on-board
It seems no satellite can be associated to launch ‘Firefly Alpha | FLTA006 (Message in a Booster)’, for now. Check back soon, we keep tracking more and more satellites every single day.
Launch statistics
Tracking key statistics for space mission ‘Firefly Alpha | FLTA006 (Message in a Booster)’, classified in stats relative to the specific mission launch year or to all-time values.
Orbital Launch
#6942
To this date
Location Launch
#804
To this date
Pad Launch
#98
To this date
Agency Launch
#6
To this date
Orbital Launch
#93
Year 2025
Location Launch
#18
Year 2025
Pad Launch
#1
Year 2025
Agency Launch
#1
Year 2025
Latest news about the launch
News about the space mission ‘Firefly Alpha | FLTA006 (Message in a Booster)’ are fetched daily from the best sources online.
Launch Roundup: Starlink missions fill launch manifest, Biomass and Alpha launch
This week’s schedule includes up to six Starlink launches from Florida and California. Arianespace launched… The post Launch Roundup: Starlink missions fill launch manifest, Biomass and Alpha launch appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.
Alpha rocket suffers stage separation anomaly during launch of Lockheed tech demo satellite
A Firefly Alpha rocket left a Lockheed Martin satellite in an orbit lower than planned, or not in orbit at all, after an anomaly during launch April 29. The post Alpha rocket suffers stage separation anomaly during launch of Lockheed tech demo satellite ...
Firefly Alpha set to launch FLTA006 Message In A Booster mission
Firefly Aerospace is preparing its Alpha small satellite launcher for a flight from Vandenberg Space… The post Firefly Alpha set to launch FLTA006 Message In A Booster mission appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.
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