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Firefly Alpha | FLTA004 (Fly the Lightning)

FLTA004 Fly the Lightning

Firefly Aerospace · Firefly Alpha · Space Launch Complex 2W, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Firefly Aerospace's 4th launch · 2nd this year · humanity's 6,579th orbital launch attempt

T− --:--:--December 22, 2023 · 17:32 UTCAdd to calendar
Partial Failure60% go

Either the launch vehicle reached orbit but did not deliver its payload in the targeted orbit, or an exceptional event made it impossible to consider the mission a success.

Window: Dec 22, 17:18Dec 22, 17:48 UTC

Flight preview

FLTA004 (Fly the Lightning)

Firefly’s Alpha rocket will launch Lockheed Martin’s new wideband Electronically Steerable Antenna (ESA) technology integrated on a Terran Orbital Nebula satellite bus. Developed within Lockheed Martin Space’s Ignite organization using a proprietary design, the ESA payload will demonstrate faster on-orbit sensor calibration to deliver rapid capabilities to U.S. warfighters.

Technology · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

Booster

No booster details available.

Watch

Updates

  • Updated launch status following confirmation of stage 2 2nd burn failure.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 12/23/2023 · source

  • Liftoff.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 12/22/2023 · source

  • Updated T-0.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 12/22/2023 · source

  • Livestream has started

    LL2 · 12/22/2023 · source

  • Weather 40% GO.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 12/22/2023 · source

  • New T-0.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 12/22/2023 · source

  • Confirmed rescheduled for December 22.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 12/21/2023 · source

  • Tentatively planned for December 22.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 12/20/2023 · source

  • Scrubbed due to weather, next launch attempt TBD.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 12/20/2023 · source

  • Updating T-0

    Nosu · 12/20/2023 · source

Pad — Space Launch Complex 2W

Local pad time: Dec 22, 9:32 AM PST

99 launches from this pad · 899 from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Map of Space Launch Complex 2WOpen in maps