Failure

FLTA006 (Message in a Booster)

Name: FLTA006 (Message in a Booster) — Firefly Alpha
Start: 2025-04-29T13:37:00Z
End: 2025-04-29T14:29:00Z
Location: Space Launch Complex 2W

Technology

Firefly Aerospace(FA)Commercial

Firefly Alpha

LEOorbit

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.

Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at 1:37 PM

Replay

Flight Timeline

T-00:02Ignition
T+00:00Liftoff
T+00:56Supersonic
T+01:06Max-Q
T+02:33MECO
T+02:37Stage 2 Separation
T+02:39SES
T+02:58Fairing Separation
T+08:28SECO
T+12:42Payload Separation

Status Details

Failure 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.

Mission details

Orbital Attempt

#6,942

FA Mission

Pad Launch

#98

Location Launch

#804

Weather GO

90%

Launch Window

NET

Apr 29, 2025, 1:37 PM

Precision

Minute

Schedule Changes

1 update

Firefly Alpha Specs

Firefly Alpha (Firefly α) is a two-stage orbital expendable launch vehicle developed by the American aerospace company Firefly Aerospace to cover the commercial small satellite launch market. Alpha is intended to provide launch options for both full vehicle and ride share customers.

Length

29.6 m

Diameter

1.82 m

Launch Mass

54 t

Thrust

736 kN

LEO Capacity

1,000 kg

SSO Capacity

630 kg

Launch Cost

$15M

Reusable

Maiden Flight

2021

Fastest Turnaround

3mo 8d

Total Launches

Successful

Failed

Consecutive Success

Maiden flight: Sep 3, 2021

Wikipedia Info

Social Flight Log

Apr 29, 2025, 6:12 PM
Launch failure confirmed.
Source
Apr 29, 2025, 1:37 PM
Liftoff!
Source
Apr 29, 2025, 12:53 PM
Official Webcast by Firefly Aerospace has started
Source
Apr 29, 2025, 12:16 AM
Confirmed rescheduling to April 29.
Source
Apr 28, 2025, 2:16 PM
Scrubbed for the day.
Source
Apr 28, 2025, 2:08 PM
Recycled for end of launch window.
Source
Apr 28, 2025, 2:06 PM
Hold at T-4:44.
Source
Apr 28, 2025, 1:45 PM
Countdown resumed.
Source
Apr 28, 2025, 1:30 PM
Hold at T-8 minutes.
Source
Apr 28, 2025, 12:49 PM
Official Webcast by Firefly Aerospace has started
Source
Apr 27, 2025, 11:08 AM
1 day delay due to weather.
Source
Apr 26, 2025, 6:03 PM
Updated launch weather.
Source
Apr 26, 2025, 1:31 AM
Added weather forecast.
Source
Apr 25, 2025, 3:17 AM
GO for launch.
Source
Apr 16, 2025, 4:48 PM
Delayed to NET April 27 per NOTAMs.
Source
Apr 14, 2025, 5:12 PM
NET April 18 per new NOTAMs.
Source
Apr 3, 2025, 4:05 AM
Reverted back to NET April with cancellation of NOTAMs.
Source
Apr 2, 2025, 5:25 PM
NET April 4 per NOTAMs, TBC.
Source
Mar 29, 2025, 7:30 PM
Reverted back to NET March with cancellation of NOTAMs.
Source
Mar 27, 2025, 1:24 PM
NET March 30, TBC.
Source
Mar 26, 2025, 1:22 AM
Reverted back to NET March TBD with cancellations of NOTAMs for March 26/27.
Source
Mar 19, 2025, 1:03 PM
NET March 26.
Source
Mar 14, 2025, 10:29 PM
Delayed due to range conflict.
Source
Mar 6, 2025, 2:21 AM
GO for launch.
Source
Mar 5, 2025, 7:33 AM
NET mid-March.
Source
Feb 11, 2025, 4:24 PM
Launch order swapped with that of TacSat.
Source
Nov 21, 2024, 3:28 AM
Added launch.
Source

Space Launch Complex 2W

SLC-2W was originally used for Delta, Thor-Agena and Delta II launches. After the last Delta II flight in 2018, SLC-2W was repurposed to launch Firefly Alpha rockets.

Total Launches

Orbital Attempts

Fastest Turnaround

26d 16h

Wikipedia Map

Firefly Aerospace

Firefly Aerospace is an American private aerospace firm based in Austin, Texas, that develops small and medium-sized launch vehicles for commercial launches to orbit.

Founded

2014

Administrator

CEO: Peter Schumacher

Total Launches

Successful

Failed

Pending

Consecutive Success

Wikipedia Website

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Vandenberg Space Force Base is a United States Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Established in 1941, Vandenberg Space Force Base is a space launch base, launching spacecraft from the Western Range, and also performs missile testing. The United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 30 serves as the host delta for the base, equivalent to an Air Force air base wing. In addition to its military space launch mission, Vandenberg Space Force Base also hosts space launches for civil and commercial space entities, such as NASA and SpaceX.

Timezone

America/Los_Angeles

Local Launch Time

Apr 29, 2025, 6:37 AM

Total Launches

885

Total Landings

Coordinates

34.7513, -120.5202