The launch of the Alpha rocket from the American company Firefly Aerospace, that happened 29 April from the US Space Force Vandenberg base (California), ended in failure. This was the sixth flight of the Alpha rocket, which was supposed to deliver a technological demonstrator of the Lockheed Martin company to low Earth orbit.
What happened during the flight?
The rocket successfully launched and separated the stages.
After that, the nozzle nozzle of the second stage engine was damaged, which significantly reduced its traction.
As a consequence, the upper stage did not reach orbital velocity, and the device, together with the payload, fell into the Pacific Ocean, in the safe zone north of Antarctica.
According to initial estimates, the rocket reached a height of approx 320 km, however, it could not enter a stable orbit.
The purpose of the mission and its meaning
The mission, called Message in a Booster, was the first of the planned ones 25 launches, which Firefly is to carry out in cooperation with Lockheed Martin over the next five years.
The launch was supposed to launch into space a demonstration payload — a prototype satellite based on the LM platform 400. The goal was to show potential customers the functionality of this universal mid-range satellite system.
Investigation and next steps
The company reported, which jointly with Lockheed Martin and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) started an investigation, to establish the exact cause of the accident. Once the analysis is complete, Firefly will release additional data on the mission's official page.
Record launch window
Message in a Booster was the last of a record six runs, carried out for 17,5 hours with 28 by 29 April. Among others:
4 missions were dedicated to launching satellites for broadband LEO megaconstellations;
1 the mission is to launch the ESA Biomass satellite for forest monitoring.