Firefly Aerospace facts for kids
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| Industry | Aerospace |
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| Founded | March 2017 |
| Founder | Tom Markusic |
| Headquarters |
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United States
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Key people
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Jason Kim (CEO) |
| Products | Alpha (small-lift launch vehicle) MLV (medium-lift launch vehicle) Blue Ghost (lunar lander) Elytra (space tug) |
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Number of employees
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750 |
Firefly Aerospace is a private American company that builds rockets and spacecraft. It is based in Cedar Park, Texas. The company creates rockets that can carry small and medium-sized payloads into Earth's orbit.
Firefly Aerospace was started in March 2017. It took over from an older company called Firefly Space Systems. The main goal of Firefly Aerospace is to make it easier and more affordable to send things into space. This is similar to what many other private spaceflight companies are trying to do.
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Rockets for Space Missions
Firefly Aerospace designs and builds several types of rockets. These rockets are used to launch satellites and other equipment into space.
Firefly Alpha Rocket
The Firefly Alpha is a rocket designed to be used only once. It can carry about 1,030 kilograms (2,270 pounds) to low Earth orbit. It can also lift 630 kilograms (1,390 pounds) to a Sun-synchronous orbit. Firefly says it costs about US$15 million to launch an Alpha rocket.
The Alpha rocket is built to compete with other rockets like Rocket Lab's Electron. It uses four "Reaver" engines on its first stage. A single "Lightning" engine powers its second stage. The rocket is made from light carbon composite materials. This makes it lighter and able to carry more payload.
The first Alpha rocket launch happened on September 3, 2021, but it was not fully successful. Its first partially successful launch was on October 1, 2022. The first fully successful launch took place on September 15, 2023. Firefly launched this mission very quickly, just 27 hours after being told to launch. This set a new record for a fast national security mission.
MLV: Medium Launch Vehicle
The MLV, which stands for Medium Launch Vehicle, is a larger rocket being developed by Firefly. It is designed to carry heavier payloads into space.
MLV's Current Design
The MLV rocket is 4.32 meters (14.17 feet) wide. It will have seven "Miranda" engines on its first stage. One "Vira" engine will power its second stage. This rocket will be able to carry over 16,000 kilograms (35,270 pounds) to low Earth orbit. It will have a large 5-meter (16.4-foot) wide fairing to protect its cargo.
The first MLV launch is planned for the second half of 2026. It will launch from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. At first, the MLV will be used only once. However, Firefly plans to make its first stage reusable in the future. This means the first part of the rocket could land back on Earth and be used again.
In April 2024, Firefly announced that testing of the Miranda engines for the MLV was going well. By mid-2024, the company shared that the MLV's first stage is being built to land back at the launch site. They hope to perfect this technology by the sixth flight of the MLV.
Antares 300 Rocket
Firefly Aerospace is also helping to build the Northrop Grumman Antares series 300 rocket. Firefly provides the first stage of this rocket. This first stage is a slightly less powerful version of the MLV's first stage. The second stage of the Antares 300 is similar to the one used on the older Antares 230+ rocket.
The launchpad at Wallops Flight Facility is being updated to support this new, larger Antares rocket. In April 2024, Firefly announced that testing for the Antares 300 was underway.
Lunar Landers
Firefly Aerospace is also working on spacecraft that can land on the Moon.
Blue Ghost Lunar Lander
The Blue Ghost is a special spacecraft designed to land on the Moon. It is being built at Firefly's facility in Cedar Park, Texas. This lander meets the requirements set by NASA for its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. The lander is named after a type of firefly called Phausis reticulata.
The first Firefly lander, called Blue Ghost M1, is set to launch on January 15, 2025. It will be carried into space by a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket. Another lunar lander, Hakuto-R Mission 2, will also be on the same launch.
Rocket Engines
Firefly Aerospace has developed unique rocket engines. They are the only company to create an orbital-class rocket engine that uses a special method called the "combustion tap-off cycle." This method uses the high heat and pressure from the main engine chamber to power the pumps. This makes the engine simpler and lighter.
Reaver Engine
Reaver is a rocket engine used on Firefly's Alpha rocket. It produces 184 kilonewtons (41,000 pounds) of thrust. It uses RP-1 (a type of kerosene) and liquid oxygen as fuel. The Reaver engine runs at full power from the moment it starts until the first stage shuts down. It uses a special chemical mix to ignite.
In 2021, another space company, Astra Space, bought up to 50 modified Reaver engines. They also got permission to build their own version of the engine.
Lightning Engine
Lightning is an engine designed for the upper stage of the Alpha rocket. It is made to work best in the vacuum of space. Lightning produces 70.1 kilonewtons (15,800 pounds) of thrust. Like the Reaver, it uses RP-1 and liquid oxygen. It can also be restarted in space, which is useful for missions that need multiple burns.
Miranda Engine
Miranda is a new liquid-fueled rocket engine. It is being developed to power Firefly's MLV rocket. This engine will also be used on the Antares 330 rocket, which is built by Northrop Grumman.
The Antares rocket used to have a different engine, but its production stopped. Firefly will now build the entire first stage for the Antares 330.
The Miranda engine will use RP-1 and liquid oxygen, just like Firefly's other engines. It is expected to produce 1,023 kilonewtons (230,000 pounds) of thrust. Development of Miranda began in 2022. By June 2024, the Miranda engine had started production. Firefly expanded its facility in Briggs, Texas, to help build these engines.
Firefly designed the Miranda engine to be reusable from the start. The company plans for the engine to restart multiple times. This will allow the rocket to land back at its launch site after a mission.
Vira Engine
Vira is a version of the Miranda engine designed for the upper stage of Firefly's MLV rocket. It is optimized to work in the vacuum of space. Vira will also use RP-1 and liquid oxygen as fuel. It is expected to produce 890 kilonewtons (200,000 pounds) of thrust. Like the Lightning engine, Vira can be restarted in space for missions that need several burns.
Elytra Space Tugs
Firefly is also developing a series of spacecraft called Elytra. These are like "space tugs." They are designed to move satellites and other payloads from one orbit to another. This includes orbits around Earth (LEO, GEO) and even beyond, towards the Moon.
Elytra will allow smaller rockets, like Firefly's Alpha, to send larger payloads to more difficult orbits. These space tugs can also help move satellites, fix them, extend their missions, or even remove old satellites from orbit.
There are three versions of Elytra:
- Elytra Dawn: The smallest version, for operations in low Earth orbit.
- Elytra Dusk: Designed for moving payloads from low Earth orbit to geostationary orbit.
- Elytra Dark: The most powerful version, for long trips to lunar orbit and beyond. Elytra Dark will help send the Blue Ghost Mission 2 to lunar orbit. It will also carry a payload for the European Space Agency (ESA).
Production Facilities
Firefly's main office and factory are located in Cedar Park, Texas. The company has large manufacturing facilities. Here, they build parts for rockets and spacecraft using materials like composites and metals.
Firefly also uses leased launch sites for its rockets. These are located in California (Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 2) and Florida (SLC-20).
Images for kids
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Firefly FRE-R1 engine test, September 2015
See also
In Spanish: Firefly Aerospace para niños
- Relativity Space
- Rocket Lab
- Stoke Space
