Firefly Alpha upper stage strands payloads in wrong orbit
Posted: Sat, Dec 30, 2023, 9:48 AM ET (1448 GMT)
The upper stage of Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket malfunctioned during a launch Dec. 22, placing its payload into the wrong orbit. The Alpha lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 12:32 pm EST (1732 GMT) carrying a Lockheed Martin technology demonstration satellite. The upper stage reached its expected transfer orbit, but a problem during a second burn of the upper stage meant that that the satellite was released into an elliptical orbit with a perigee of only about 215 kilometers. Firefly acknowledged the malfunction and said it would investigate it, but provided no other details. The company added that the satellite was working, although it was unclear if it could complete its mission before it reenters, likely in a matter of weeks.
The upper stage of Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket malfunctioned during a launch Dec. 22, placing its payload into the wrong orbit. The Alpha lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 12:32 pm EST (1732 GMT) carrying a Lockheed Martin technology demonstration satellite. The upper stage reached its expected transfer orbit, but a problem during a second burn of the upper stage meant that that the satellite was released into an elliptical orbit with a perigee of only about 215 kilometers. Firefly acknowledged the malfunction and said it would investigate it, but provided no other details. The company added that the satellite was working, although it was unclear if it could complete its mission before it reenters, likely in a matter of weeks.| <<previous article | next article>> |
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