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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HfHAazNM3Q
Alpha looking to go orbital.
Let's Go to Mars...Google on: Fast Track to Mars blogspot.com
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First attempt an abort...
Let's Go to Mars...Google on: Fast Track to Mars blogspot.com
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2nd attempt looking good.
Let's Go to Mars...Google on: Fast Track to Mars blogspot.com
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Whoops! Anomaly!!
Let's Go to Mars...Google on: Fast Track to Mars blogspot.com
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Let's hope they try again, we've had discussion about other companies in the private and commercial threads going back to 2015 and the earlier days of newmars forums
Firefly Alpha explodes during first launch
https://spacenews.com/firefly-alpha-exp … st-launch/
Firefly Aerospace’s first launch of its Alpha rocket ended in failure when the rocket exploded two and a half minutes after liftoff Sept. 2
The Alpha rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 2 here at 9:59 p.m. Eastern. A first launch attempt at 9 p.m. Eastern was aborted in the final seconds of the countdown for unspecified technical reasons, but launch controllers reset the countdown for a second launch attempt.
About two and a half minutes after liftoff, the rocket appeared to tumble and then explode. “Alpha experienced an anomaly during first stage ascent that resulted in the loss of the vehicle,” Firefly tweeted
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US Govt orders Polyakov to sell Firefly Aerospace stake
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I see ITAR and National Security in the light of Russian possible invasion.
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Space politics was always going to catch up with this one, Elon Musk is a South African but became a naturalized US citizen at the age of 31. McCain (R-Ariz.) when he was alive hated the use of the RD-180 engine, also you had the recent Ukrainian Civil War or Russo-Ukrainian War from 2014 and possibly still ongoing and in the US American laws prevent the foreign handling of rocket tech prohibit non-US citizens to work with them
The Space News article also mentions National Security.
Firefly halts launch preparations after federal government seeks divestment of foreign ownership
https://spacenews.com/firefly-halts-lau … ownership/
Firefly Aerospace is pausing preparations for its next Alpha launch, originally scheduled for early 2022, after the government asked its largest shareholder to divest its stake for national security reasons.
Noosphere Venture Partners, a fund run by Ukrainian-born investor Max Polyakov, said Dec. 29 that it will retain an investment banking firm to sell its interest in Firefly. That sale comes at the request of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), the company said. Bloomberg was the first to report Noosphere’s plans.
Firefly, in a statement to SpaceNews, said that, because of that request, it is holding off on preparations for its second Alpha launch. “During this process, the government has made a decision to limit our operations at Vandenberg Space Force Base while this issue is being resolved,” it stated. “Firefly is actively working with our government partners to mitigate any regulatory issues that may impact launch operations.”
Another article here
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles … et-startup
While Ukraine is an ally of the U.S., its ongoing conflict with Russia has increased worries about what might happen to valuable technology inside of the country.
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Northrop Grumman and Firefly to partner on upgraded Antares
https://spacenews.com/northrop-grumman- … d-antares/
Antares known during early development as Taurus II, an expendable launch system developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation.
Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2022-08-08 16:08:21)
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Firefly Aerospace Successfully Reaches Orbit and Deploys Customer Payloads with its Alpha Rocket
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Firefly wins second NASA CLPS mission
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Plug in your headphones because all four of our Reaver engines have been acceptance tested for Alpha FLTA004 with NASA
https://twitter.com/Firefly_Space/statu … 8336467969
Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to launch
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Firefly to buy remaining Virgin Orbit assets
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Firefly to launch Lockheed Martin small-satellite experiment
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Firefly Aerospace's new rocket engine spouts green flames in 1st 'hot fire' test (photo)
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NASA Confirms Private Spacecraft Successfully Lands on the Moon
NASA’s recent confirmation of Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1landing on the Moon signifies a transformative moment in the realm of space exploration. The private American spacecraft successfully touched down near Mons Latreille in Mare Crisium, marking a milestone for NASA and its commercial partners.
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost 1mission represents not just a significant technological achievement but also an important step toward NASA’s long-term lunar exploration plans. The Blue Ghost spacecraft, launched from Florida in January 2025, touched down on the Moon’s surface after a carefully orchestrated sequence of maneuvers involving a cruise, approach, and powered descent phase. Landing in the Mare Crisium region near Mons Latreille, an area with ancient volcanic significance, this location was chosen for its scientific value, offering insights into lunar crustal chemistry and thermal history.
“This incredible achievement demonstrates how NASA and American companies are leading the way in space exploration for the benefit of all,” said NASA’s acting Administrator Janet Petro. This success is also critical for the development of NASA’s Artemis program, which envisions sustainable exploration of the Moon and beyond. The mission’s instruments, designed to support Artemis objectives, include payloads focused on navigation, lunar dust analysis, heat flow measurement, and other crucial data-gathering technologies.
A key component of Blue Ghost 1’ssuccess lies in NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) model. This initiative enables private companies to carry out lunar deliveries rather than having NASA build and operate every spacecraft themselves. By using competitive task orders and indefinite delivery contracts, NASA is able to reduce costs and expedite technological development. This approach helps spread the risk of failure across multiple flights and encourages rapid innovation in the space sector.
The Blue Ghost mission, being only the second commercial soft landing on the Moon, demonstrates the potential of the CLPS model. This framework allows private companies like Firefly Aerospace to contribute significantly to the broader goals of space exploration while simultaneously improving cost efficiency and speeding up the testing of new technologies. By leveraging private sector expertise and resources, NASA is fostering an ecosystem that can deliver critical hardware and data to the Moon sooner than traditional government-funded missions would allow.
The payloads aboard the Blue Ghost 1 spacecraft carry critical instruments designed to provide data that will advance our understanding of the Moon’s surface and subsurface properties. One of the standout instruments is a subsurface drill capable of penetrating about 10 feet (3 meters) into the lunar surface. This drill is designed to gather important data about the Moon’s thermal gradient and heat flow, which will help refine models of lunar crust thickness and its volcanic history.
Additionally, the spacecraft carried a range of other scientific instruments, including a lunar soil sampler and a magnetotelluric sounder. The sampler is designed to collect lunar regolith (soil) using gas-based methods, which is an energy-efficient alternative to traditional robotic arms with moving parts. This technique could potentially simplify future lunar missions, reducing the need for complex machinery.
One of the most notable payloads is theLunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE), which successfully demonstrated that weak GPS and Galileo signals can be acquired and tracked on the Moon’s surface. This could revolutionize navigation during future lunar missions by allowing landers to operate more independently, with less reliance on Earth-based tracking systems. This would be particularly beneficial for smaller lunar missions that don’t have the resources for full-scale tracking systems.
Lunar dust presents one of the most persistent challenges for future lunar missions, as it can cling to equipment, damage moving parts, and even pose risks to astronauts’ health. The Blue Ghost mission’s research into dust behavior focuses on how it interacts with electric fields, particularly near the Moon’s terminator (the line between day and night). During the lunar dawn and dusk, the sunlight at low angles creates electric fields that can lift fine grains of dust, creating a phenomenon that could affect equipment and operations.
In addition to dust research, the thermal properties of the Moon are also a key focus.The Blue Ghost spacecraft’s drill will probe the thermal gradient at depths of several feet, helping scientists better understand heat flow from the Moon’s interior. This data could reveal more about the Moon’s volcanic activity, crustal composition, and overall thermal history.
Furthermore, by analyzing the behavior of the spacecraft’s instruments during the lunar twilight, scientists will gather valuable data that could help refine future designs for lunar rovers, spacesuits, and seals, all of which need to withstand the Moon’s harsh conditions.
The success of Blue Ghost 1is a testament to the growing role that private companies are playing in lunar exploration. NASA’s partnerships with companies like Firefly Aerospace show how public-private collaborations are accelerating the pace of innovation and reducing the costs associated with space missions. As companies gain more experience and repeat flights, they will continue to refine their technology, which in turn will reduce mission costs and shorten timelines.
The Blue Ghost mission not only marks a pivotal achievement for Firefly Aerospace but also contributes to the larger effort to build a sustainable human presence on the Moon. As more private companies enter the space race, they will help create a thriving ecosystem for lunar exploration, making it possible to scale operations more rapidly and efficiently.
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