Firefly Aerospace · Operational · us · Launch Vehicle
Firefly Alpha
Small-lift orbital rocket; 3 full successes in 7 flights; returned to flight in March 2026 after an April 2025 launch failure and a September 2025 ground-test explosion.
Verified 2026-09-24 · First flight 2021-09-03
Systems cutaway
Specs & Metrics
- Payload to LEO ↑ better
- 1,030 kg
- to 300 km LEO
- Maximum payload mass deliverable to low Earth orbit (~200–400 km circular), in the vehicle's stated reference configuration.
- Liftoff Thrust ↑ better
- 836 kN
- Total first-stage thrust at liftoff (sea-level), in kilonewtons, summing all active engines and solid strap-ons.
- Liftoff Mass ↓ better
- 54.1 t
- Total vehicle mass at liftoff including propellant, payload, and all stages, in metric tonnes.
- Vehicle Height ↓ better
- 29.5 m
- Full stack height at liftoff, in metres, including fairing or spacecraft.
- Cost per kg to LEO ↓ better
- $14,563/kg
- derived: $15M ÷ 1,030 kg
- Derived cost efficiency: launch list price divided by payload-to-LEO capacity, in USD per kilogram.
- Mission Success Rate ↑ better
- 42.9%
- 3 full successes, 2 partial failures, 2 failures in 7 flights through Flight 7 (2026-03-12 UTC)
- Percentage of launch attempts rated as full mission successes over the vehicle's complete flight history.
- Launches in 2025 ↑ better
- 1
- FLTA006 Message in a Booster on April 29, 2025; did not reach orbit
- Total number of launch attempts conducted in calendar year 2025 (Jan 1 – Dec 31 UTC).