spacetoday.net: Firefly Aerospace suffers anomaly in static-fire test

Firefly Aerospace suffers anomaly in static-fire test

Posted: Sat, Jan 25, 2020, 11:28 AM ET (1628 GMT)
Firefly Aerospace reported a "test anomaly" during an attempted static-fire test Wednesday of the small launch vehicle it is developing. Law enforcement and fire units responded to reports Wednesday evening of a "possible explosion" at the company's test site, north of Austin, Texas, prompting road closures and evacuations of nearby residents. Firefly later said the anomaly caused "a small fire" but no explosion, and that both the rocket and the test stand are intact. The company was preparing to perform its first static-fire test of the first stage of the Alpha rocket with all four of its engines installed. The company earlier said it planned a series of qualification tests of the stage, one of the last major tests before the first flight of the rocket.