Firefly Aerospace and
Spaceflight Inc. Sign Launch Services Agreement
April 22, 2020
Firefly Aerospace, Inc., announced
they have signed a Launch Services Agreement (LSA). The
agreement confirms that Spaceflight will secure the
majority of the payload mass aboard a Firefly Alpha
launch, scheduled for lift off from Vandenberg Air Force
Base in 2021.
In addition to being the anchor
customer, Spaceflight will sign, manage, integrate, and
deploy multiple payloads on the flight, enabling Firefly
to maximize its full 630 kilogram launch capacity on the
commercial Alpha mission to Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO).
Also, according to the LSA, Spaceflight will help
maximize payload capacity aboard future Firefly Alpha
launches.
“Spaceflight has long been
committed to providing reliable, cost-effective access
to space and we are eager to partner with Firefly, as
both companies share this exciting vision,” said Curt
Blake, CEO and president of Spaceflight. “In fact, we
have many customers in mind, including some specifically
in APAC, which we believe will benefit from this
additional capacity and flexibility. Spaceflight is
honored to secure the primary payload aboard an Alpha
flight in 2021, and we very much look forward to working
closely with the Firefly team to accelerate more small
satellite rideshare launches for the industry.”
”Alpha launches in 2021 will play a
key role in establishing our manifest and production
capability, and having Spaceflight’s deep payload
integration expertise in our corner is an important part
of our overall launch strategy,” said Dr. Tom Markusic,
Firefly CEO. “Our Alpha launch vehicle will quickly fill
a major market gap with the capability to deliver 1
metric ton to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and 630 kilograms to
the highly desirable 500 kilogram SSO, about four times
the current payload capability of other small satellite
launch vehicles.”
The Alpha launch vehicle is
designed to address the needs and demands of the
burgeoning small-satellite market, combining the highest
payload performance with the lowest cost per kilogram to
orbit in its vehicle class. Alpha will provide launch
options for both full vehicle and rideshare missions.
Spaceflight has launched a
record-setting 271 satellites via 29 rideshare missions,
establishing itself as the leading rideshare service
provider, offering comprehensive launch and integration
services across a global portfolio of vehicles.
Spaceflight successfully executed nine missions in 2019,
the most rideshare launches the company has performed in
one year. The company also completed the first-ever
rideshare mission to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO)
in 2019, launching the first privately funded lunar
lander.
Leading up to the maiden flight of
the Alpha launch vehicle later this year, final
acceptance of the first and second stage will take place
over the next several months at Firefly’s test
facilities in Briggs, Texas, with hardware deployments
to Vandenberg planned for early summer. Firefly teams
are also integrating new composite technologies into its
overall manufacturing capabilities, with the goal of
significantly boosting production of its launch vehicles
to align with demand growth over the next few years.
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