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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 or partial failure in six attempts during a recent mission for Lockheed Martin, preventing the customer's technology demonstration satellite from reaching orbit.
The mishap occurred at stage separation, with the upper stage's engine losing its nozzle extension, which prevented it from achieving the necessary orbital velocity, and the FAA is requiring a mishap investigation.
Despite Alpha's consistent unreliability, Firefly Aerospace maintains a significant launch backlog, including 25 Alpha missions for Lockheed Martin, and has achieved success with its Blue Ghost lunar lander.

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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.