Firefly Aerospace's first attempt to reach space failed just two minutes after the launch of its "Alpha" rocket. The Austin, Texas-based private aerospace company, which is developing small and medium-sized launch vehicles for commercial use, conducted the inaugural orbital test flight of the "Alpha" rocket early on Friday. The rocket was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 01:59 GMT on September 3, after about an hour of countdown delay.
Everything appeared normal in the first 2.5 minutes of flight, but the 29-meter tall "Alpha" rocket experienced a fatal issue, resulting in an explosive fireball in the California sky. Firefly representatives stated on the company's Twitter account this evening: "The Alpha rocket experienced an anomaly during its first-stage launch, resulting in loss of control and explosion. As we gather more information, additional details will be provided." They added, "The failure should not be a huge surprise... reaching space is hard, especially for a completely new rocket. For example, three major competitors of Firefly in the small satellite launch market—Rocket Lab, Virgin Orbit, and Astra—failed in their first attempts to reach orbit around Earth."
