![Firefly's Alpha rocket launches on Thursday evening from Vandenberg Space Force Base.](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/image003-1-800x555.jpg)
Firefly
As a part of its efforts to be more nimble in space, the US military has been pushing satellite and launch firms to change into more “responsive” of their ability to place spacecraft into space.
Essentially, the military is anxious about other nations damaging or destroying its assets in orbit during a conflict. Military officials consider one strategy to guard against this could be to have the potential to rapidly replace those satellites—whether or not they’re for spying, communications, or other purposes.
The US Space Force took a step toward this goal two years ago with a mission called Tactically Responsive Launch-2, or TacRL-2. This small satellite was in-built lower than a 12 months by taking existing components and putting them together to create an area domain awareness satellite. The mission was then launched inside 21 days, on June 13, 2021, by a solid-fueled Pegasus rocket built by Northrop Grumman.
Victus Nox takes flight
With its latest attempt at tactically responsive launch, the Space Force took an enormous step further. It contracted with the US launch company Firefly to place a spacecraft called “Victus Nox” into orbit inside 24 hours of receiving the go command from the military.
At the top of August, this Victus Nox mission entered what was called the “hot standby phase,” placing satellite-maker Millennium Space Systems and launch provider Firefly Aerospace right into a six-month period during which they were to attend for a launch command.
On Wednesday, the US Space Force told the businesses to go. After this point, Firefly encapsulated the Millennium satellite right into a payload fairing, mated it to Firefly’s Alpha launch vehicle, and accomplished all final launch preparations. The small launch rocket then successfully lifted off at 7:28 pm local time (02:28 UTC Friday) from Space Launch Complex 2 West at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The 2 firms met the goal of being “launch ready” inside 24 hours, and the entire time from receiving the go command to liftoff was 27 hours, far eclipsing the previous record set by the primary tactically responsive launch two years ago.
“The success of Victus Nox marks a culture shift in our nation’s ability to discourage adversary aggression and, when required, respond with the operational speed crucial to deliver decisive capabilities to our warfighters,” said Lt. Gen. Michael Guetlein, commander of Space Systems Command, in an announcement released early Friday morning. “This exercise is an element of an end-to-end Tactically Responsive Space demonstration which proves the US Space Force can rapidly integrate capabilities and can reply to aggression when called to accomplish that on tactically relevant timelines.”
Millennium and the US Space Force will now seek to activate the spacecraft inside 48 hours of reaching orbit.
Firefly lighting up
This launch represents a big achievement for Firefly, a Texas-based company that attempted the primary launch of its Alpha rocket in September 2021. That rocket was lost after two and a half minutes into flight on account of the failure of one in all its 4 major engines. The Alpha rocket then suffered a partial failure during its second attempt in October 2022, when its second stage deposited seven small satellites right into a lower-than-intended orbit. A lot of the satellites reentered Earth orbit inside days of launch.
The Victus Nox mission was just the third flight of the Alpha rocket, and based on each the corporate and Space Force, the Victus Nox satellite was indeed placed into its goal orbit.
“Today was an incredible success for the Space Force, the Firefly team, and our nation after nailing this complex responsive space mission,” said Bill Weber, chief executive of Firefly Aerospace, in an announcement. “Our combined business and government team executed the mission with record speed, agility, and suppleness, adding a critical capability to deal with national security needs.”
With this success, Firefly now intends to ramp up production of the Alpha rocket—which is able to delivering about 1 metric ton to low-Earth orbit—for a more operational cadence of missions. Likely up next is the launch of several cubesats for NASA. That mission could happen later this 12 months or early in 2024.
First of the 1 tons
Alpha has change into the primary successful, commercially developed US rocket able to lifting about 1 ton to orbit. During the last five years or so, it has been competing in a lane with Relativity Space’s Terran 1 rocket and ABL Space’s RS 1 vehicle.
The RS1 vehicle made its debut in January 2023 but failed shortly after liftoff. A second demonstration flight is feasible late this 12 months or early in 2024 from Alaska.
Relativity Space flew its Terran 1 rocket for the primary and only time in March. During this flight from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the primary stage performed as expected, with a nominal stage separation. Nevertheless, at 2 minutes and 48 seconds into flight—two seconds after ignition of the second-stage Aeon engine—the engine didn’t achieve full thrust. Afterward, Relativity Space announced it was pivoting to a much larger launch vehicle, Terran R.