Firefly Aerospace’s launch of Lockheed Martin’s FLTA006 has been scheduled for Sunday, April 27th, at 6:37 AM – 8:17 AM PDT from Vandenberg.

This is the sixth flight of the Firefly Alpha small satellite launcher, launching the demonstration mission for Lockheed Martin’s new LM400 satellite bus that will carry a communications payload. The satellite bus is customizable to support different missions, including remote sensing, communications, imagery and radar Earth observations. It can also support different kinds of orbits and launch configurations.

Vandenberg Space Force Base is a United States Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Established in 1941, Vandenberg Space Force Base is a space launch base, launching spacecraft from the Western Range, and also performs missile testing. The United States Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 30 serves as the host delta for the base, equivalent to an Air Force air base wing. In addition to its military space launch mission, Vandenberg Space Force Base also hosts space launches for civil and commercial space entities, such as NASA and SpaceX.

The forecast calls for a temperature of 53°F, overcast clouds, 86% cloud cover and a wind speed of 9mph.

Firefly Aerospace’s launch of Lockheed Martin’s FLTA006 Message in a Booster mission is ‘to be determined’

Firefly Aerospace’s launch of Lockheed Martin’s FLTA006 (Message in a Booster) from Space Launch Complex 2W, Vandenberg SFB, California, is yet to be determined.

Alpha FLTA006 is the second mission Firefly is launching for Lockheed Martin and the first of Firefly’s multi-launch agreement with Lockheed Martin that includes up to 25 missions over the next five years. This mission will launch Lockheed Martin’s LM 400 tech demo to prove out the risk-reduction and pathfinding efforts the company has done for its multi-mission satellite bus. Launching the mid-size satellite to low Earth orbit, FLTA006 will further validate Alpha’s robust performance to take customers directly to their preferred orbits as the only operational 1 metric ton rocket.

The LM 400 is Lockheed Martin’s most flexible and capable satellite platform with multi-mission capabilities that can be tailored for almost any mission, including remote sensing, communications, imaging and radar.

Firefly Aerospace’s Firefly Alpha to launch Lockheed Martin’s FLTA006 Message in a Booster mission on Friday

On Friday, April 18 Firefly Aerospace will launch FLTA006 (Message in a Booster) between 6:37 AM – 8:17 AM PDT Space Launch Complex 2W, Vandenberg SFB, California, at a cost of $15Million.

Firefly Aerospace is an American private aerospace firm based in Austin, Texas, that develops small and medium-sized launch vehicles for commercial launches to orbit.

The forecast calls for a temperature of 51°F, clear skies, 0% cloud cover and a wind speed of 14mph.

This launch will be the sixth flight of the Firefly Alpha small satellite launcher, launching the demonstration mission for Lockheed Martin’s new LM400 satellite bus, which will carry a communications payload. The satellite bus is customizable to support different missions, including remote sensing, communications, imagery and radar Earth observations. It can also support different kinds of orbits and launch configurations.

Alpha FLTA006 is the second mission Firefly is launching for Lockheed Martin and the first of Firefly’s multi-launch agreement with Lockheed Martin that includes up to 25 missions over the next five years. This mission will launch Lockheed Martin’s LM 400 tech demo to prove out the risk-reduction and pathfinding efforts the company has done for its multi-mission satellite bus. Launching the mid-size satellite to low Earth orbit, FLTA006 will further validate Alpha’s robust performance to take customers directly to their preferred orbits as the only operational 1 metric ton rocket.

The LM 400 is Lockheed Martin’s most flexible and capable satellite platform with multi-mission capabilities that can be tailored for almost any mission, including remote sensing, communications, imaging and radar.

Approximately the volume of an average home refrigerator and accommodating payloads up to 1,100kg, this mid-sized bus features exceptional propulsion and optimal operability in low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO) and geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) compared to others in its class.

The demand for LM 400 plays an important role in the evolving Space industry. Space missions are adopting proliferated network architectures that use a multitude of smaller satellites in differing orbits to form a robust constellation, offering greater resilience in the face of threats or unforeseen anomalies. The LM 400 satellite platform provides a highly flexible bus foundation, resulting in rapid deployment at lower price points to help achieve the connectivity for data transport and missile warning and tracking operations.

FireFly Alpha Message in a Booster on hold launch to be determined

The projection of a Sunday launch of FireFly Alpha’s Message in a Booster has come and gone with no statement issued as to a new date. There is a possibility that April may be the month.

This will be the sixth flight of the Firefly Alpha small satellite launcher as a demonstration mission for Lockheed Martin’s new LM400 satellite bus, which will carry a communications payload.

Firefly Alpha’s Message in a Booster now booked for Sunday launch

The following is a statement issued on Vandenberg Rocket Launches Facebook page.

Firefly Alpha’s delay due to strong winds still waiting for window to launch

Firefly Alpha from Firefly Aerospace is scheduled to launch on March 26 from Space Launch Complex 2W at Vandenberg SFB at 6:37 – 8:17 am PDT, at a cost of $15 million, however….

Firefly Alpha is ready to launch FLTA006 (Message in a Booster) on Wednesday

Firefly Alpha from Firefly Aerospace will launch on March 26 from Space Launch Complex 2W at Vandenberg SFB at 6:37 – 8:17 am PDT, at a cost of $15 million.

This is the sixth flight of the Firefly Alpha small satellite launcher, launching the demonstration mission for Lockheed Martin’s new LM400 satellite bus, which will carry a communications payload.