Firefly Aerospace, the decade-old spaceflight company based in Cedar Park, Texas, is now working on an additional launch site for its operational Alpha small satellite launcher and upcoming Medium Launch Vehicle (MLV) in Virginia. In addition, the company is planning to build an Alpha launch site overseas in Sweden for the European market. Firefly recently answered NSF’s questions about future launch sites and current operations.
These sites will join the company’s existing Alpha launch site, Space Launch Complex-2W (SLC-2W) at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in California. A Firefly site at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) Space Launch Complex-20 (SLC-20) is not a current priority, but future use is possible.
“Firefly is prioritizing Wallops Pad 0A as our first Alpha East Coast launch site while maintaining our lease at SLC-20 and evaluating timing to expand to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at a later date” said Firefly to NSF.
Space Launch Complex-20 at CCAFS. Firefly is maintaining a lease at this site. (Credit: Space Florida)
SLC-20, south of the SLC-41, SLC-40, and SLC-37 pads, was used by Titan I, Titan IIIA, and Strategic Defense Initiative Organization rockets before Space Florida worked to revitalize the facility with the help of the US Space Force and its Space Launch Delta 45. The site was leased to Firefly in 2019 as an East Coast launch site for its rockets.
All five Alpha flights so far have occurred from SLC-2W and the upcoming Alpha FLTA006 is set to fly from VSFB as well. Although all future Alpha flights on the manifest are scheduled to fly from VSFB, the company has decided to add a launch site at the Wallops Island Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) in Virginia.
Firefly Alpha – possibly a render – seen at Pad 0A at MARS. (Credit: Firefly Aerospace)
Firefly will use Pad 0A at MARS as its first East Coast launch site while evaluating the timing for future use of SLC-20 at CCSFS. The company can use existing vehicle and payload processing facilities and launch the MLV from the same pad. As Firefly stated to NSF, “MARS also provides launch schedule flexibility to support Firefly’s responsive launch capabilities and enables operational efficiencies across vehicle lines since Firefly’s Medium Launch Vehicle will launch from the same pad.”
Pad 0A has hosted 18 Antares launches for Northrop Grumman Corporation (NGC) and Orbital Sciences, which became Orbital ATK and was bought out by NGC. NGC is using the MLV first stage as part of its upcoming Antares 330 launch vehicle, and this vehicle will use this pad along with the Firefly MLV and Alpha.
Render of the NGC/Firefly MLV lifting off. (Credit: Firefly Aerospace)
This launch pad was originally built to support operations for the failed Conestoga launch vehicle in the 1990s and hosted its only orbital launch attempt. The Conestoga was the first privately funded commercial launch vehicle; sadly, its only orbital launch attempt failed 46 seconds after launch after hydraulic fluid from the steering system was depleted.
In addition to Firefly’s future use of MARS, the company is also working on a launch site at Esrange, Sweden, 40 km east of the northern town of Kiruna. The Esrange Space Center, originally built in 1964, hosts sounding rocket launches, high-altitude balloons, and a satellite tracking station. The site, originally built for research into the aurora borealis, now has the Launch Complex-3 (LC-3) site for orbital launches, though none have taken place yet.
The Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden. It is north of the Arctic Circle. (Credit: Swedish Space Corporation)
Firefly plans to become the first US company to launch satellites from continental Europe. The company signed an agreement with the Swedish Space Corporation in June 2024 to launch satellites from Esrange, and Firefly will use the LC-3C launch pad for its operations. Work is already underway at LC-3C to configure it for Alpha flights.
Regarding the purpose of offering a launch site in Europe, Firefly stated to NSF, “The launch cadence will largely be driven by customer demand. With the inaugural Alpha launch from Esrange as early as 2026, the new complex can support commercial customers in the broader European market and enable tactically responsive space missions to further advance national security for NATO countries.”
Firefly Alpha FLTA005 stands ready for the Noise of Summer mission on pad SLC-2W at VSFB. (Credit: Firefly Aerospace)
Launch sites at Wallops and Esrange are key to Firefly’s plan to offer rapid response missions. These missions require the team to process payloads, conduct operations, and launch within a day’s notice. In addition, Firefly hopes to have a monthly launch cadence for its Alpha launch vehicle beginning in 2026 using multiple launch sites.
Alpha can launch over 1,030 kg to a low-Earth orbit or 630 kg to a sun-synchronous orbit. This capability places the rocket at the top end of the small satellite launcher category, and Firefly’s offering of responsive launch services from three launch pads – possibly four pads in due time – on two continents with this launcher is an attempt to carve out a niche in the crowded launch market.
Hot fire test of the Miranda engine for the MLV and Antares 330 in Texas. (Credit: Firefly Aerospace)
Firefly’s MARS launch site is scheduled to start operations as early as next year, while operations at the Esrange Space Center will begin as early as 2026. While these sites are being prepared, Alpha FLTA006’s flight preparations are underway. As Firefly stated to NSF, “Firefly’s test campaign is in full swing for Alpha FLTA006. We’ll have more details to share on the scheduled launch date and the payload soon.”
While Firefly is working on additional launch sites, the company is also working on its Elytra transfer vehicle, the Blue Ghost Moon lander, testing MLV components, and an expansion at its test facility in Briggs, Texas. Future articles will be coming soon to cover these developments.
(Lead image: Artist’s impression of Firefly Alpha launching from LC-3C at Esrange, Sweden. Credit: Swedish Space Corporation)
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