Firefly Aerospace, fresh off their successful launch for the Space Force, is gearing up for another mission in 2023. This time, they will be flying a dedicated flight for Lockheed Martin as part of the Alpha FLTA004 mission. The mission, codenamed “Fly the Lightning,” aims to deploy an Electronically Steerable Antenna (ESA) demonstrator payload developed by Lockheed Martin’s Ignite organization.

The payload, called “Tantrum,” will be integrated onto a Terran Orbital Nebula small satellite bus and is expected to calibrate and be ready for operation in a shorter time than traditional on-orbit sensors. This demonstrates the ability to deliver rapid capabilities to U.S. warfighters stationed across the globe.

The FLTA004 mission will be the fourth overall flight for Firefly’s Alpha small satellite launch vehicle and the second flight for the company in 2023. The previous flights have had varying degrees of success. The debut launch lasted only two and a half minutes due to an early engine shutdown, while the second launch resulted in lower than planned orbits. However, the third launch for the United States Space Force was successful, meeting the objective of demonstrating rapid response launch capabilities.

To prepare for the FLTA004 mission, Firefly has been performing qualification testing on the Alpha FLTA004 first and second stages at their testing facility in Texas. Once the testing was completed, the stages were packaged and shipped to Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The mission is currently scheduled to launch on December 20. On launch day, Firefly teams will conduct final checkouts and load propellants into the rocket before liftoff. The countdown control will switch from Firefly controllers to the vehicle’s internal flight computers at T-20 minutes. The engines will ignite at T-2 seconds, and liftoff will occur at T0 following the release of hold-down clamps.

During ascent, the rocket will reach supersonic speeds and pass through the region of maximum dynamic pressure. The first stage engines will burn until main engine cutoff, followed by stage separation and ignition of the second stage engine. The fairing will separate, exposing the Tantrum payload to space. The second stage engine will continue firing until cutoff, and after a coast phase, a motor adjustment burn will place the payload into the correct orbit. Payload deployment is expected to occur at around T+54 minutes 34 seconds.

The FLTA004 mission will be a significant milestone for Firefly as they continue their progress in rocket and spacecraft development. They have recently completed structural environmental testing on their Elytra orbital vehicle, and they have successfully tested the Miranda engine, which will power the first stages of Northrop Grumman’s Antares 330 and Firefly’s own Medium Launch Vehicle.

Looking ahead to 2024, Firefly has exciting plans for lunar exploration. Their Blue Ghost lander is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 and attempt to land at Mare Crisium with several NASA payloads. They are also planning another Blue Ghost mission to the far side of the Moon in the future.

Firefly’s partnership with NASASpaceflight will allow the FLTA004 mission to be broadcasted, with Firefly covering some of the production expenses.

As Firefly closes out 2023 with the “Fly the Lightning” mission, they continue to make strides in the space industry and look forward to more successes in the coming years.