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Firefly Alpha Rocket Grounded After In-Flight Anomaly

Launch provider says a nozzle extension on the upper engine was lost during stage separation, preventing the rocket from reaching orbit.

Wednesday, April 30, 2025 at 03:30 PM ET

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Firefly’s two-stage Alpha rocket stands on the launch pad at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California ahead of the launch of a payload for customer Lockheed Martin. [Courtesy: Firefly Aerospace]

Key Takeaways:

Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket experienced its fourth failure in six attempts during a recent launch for Lockheed Martin, preventing the payload from reaching orbit due to an upper stage engine issue.
The FAA has mandated a mishap investigation for the Alpha rocket, which must be completed before any future launches are cleared.
Despite Alpha's reliability issues, Firefly holds a substantial launch backlog and has demonstrated success with other projects, notably its Blue Ghost lunar lander completing the first successful commercial moon landing and operations.

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Firefly Aerospace’s two-stage Alpha rocket on Monday suffered a failure during the first of 25 missions purchased last year by customer Lockheed Martin, marking its fourth partial or complete failure in six launch attempts.

The mishap prevented Lockheed’s payload—a technology demonstration satellite—from reaching orbit. The FAA on Tuesday said it will require Firefly to complete a mishap investigation before Alpha is cleared for its next launch.

Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.