Fireflys Alpha rocket burst mid-flight on Thursday. However, the company posted a new video Sunday that provided more details. The company tweeted that although the vehicle did not reach orbit, it was a significant step forward for the team. We proved that we are a company capable building and launching rockets.
Two-stage rocket Alpha lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Thursday at 9:59 PM ET. It carried a payload with private satellites. The rocket was the company's first ever mission. Two minutes after liftoff, the rocket started tipping horizontally and fell short of its maximum aerodynamic pressure.
Firefly claims that the rocket successfully cleared the launch pad. However, about 15 seconds into the flight, engine 2 stopped working. Firefly stated that the vehicle continued to climb, and it was able maintain control for approximately 145 seconds. However, the rocket's climb rate was slow due to the lack of thrust from one of its four engines (the one which shut down).
Without the engine thrust vectoring, the vehicle had difficulty maintaining control. Alpha was able compensate at subsonic speeds. However, as the vehicle moved through transonic and supersonic flight where control is most difficult, the three engine thrust vector control failed to work properly and the vehicle lost control. Firefly reported that the vehicle crashed out of control. The explosive Flight Termination System (FTS) was used to end the flight. The rocket didn't explode by itself.
It is investigating the reason engine 2 was shut down so early and will report its findings once it has completed the investigation. The company tweeted that it was working with Space Launch Delta 30 and the FAA to return Alpha Flight 2 to its original schedule as soon as possible.
