Firefly’s First Test Flight Lasts More Than Two Minutes, With Successful Liftoff and Progression to Supersonic Speed

September 06 2021

On September 2, Firefly Aerospace (Austin, Texas, U.S.) conducted the first flight test of its all-composite Alpha rocket. According to a company statement by Firefly Aerospace on 3rd September, the rocket launched successfully, flew for about 2.5 minutes and achieved supersonic speed, prior to an anomaly that caused the vehicle to explode prior to reaching orbit.

Alpha is a two-stage, small-satellite launch vehicle designed to carry 1,000 kilograms of customer payload to low Earth orbit (LEO), and all major structural components are constructed from carbon fiber/epoxy prepreg. In Octber. 2020, the company declared an investment in an automated fiber placement (AFP) machine, aiming to automate and scale up its rocket production.

For identifying Growth Opportunities for Composites in the Aerospace Market
please visit https://www.lucintel.com/composites-in-aerospace-market.aspx

Click on the Headlines for the full story

National Composites Centre and Arcola Energy Publish Report on UK Supply Chain Opportunities in Hydrogen Heavy Duty Vehicles	Airborne Appoints Magnus Olofsson as Business Development Manager for Automotive	Carbon Threesixty’s Managing Director, Ed Allnutt Joins Bessemer Society
CGTech Highlights VERICUT 9.2 Simulation, Composites, and Additive Capabilities at CAMX	Scott Bader Exhibiting Crestaform at TCT 3Sixty Show	INOMETA at the INFOFLEX 2021 in Frisco, TX
Lucintel is attending CAMX 2021	KraussMaffei Supplies Efficient Extrusion Technologies for the New Purecycle Recycling Process	Inometa Develops New CFRP Bridge Adapters for Large Working Widths and Maximum Print Quality in Flexographic Printing
Notus Composites Expanding High-Performance Epoxy Range	Creative Composites Supply Innovative SMC Parts for New Revolutionary Electric Light Commercial Van	Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN and Virtek Join Forces Provide Advanced Vision-Based Laser Technologies in Field Of Composites
Envisiontec and Covestro Collaborate On Material and Printer Solutions for DLP 3D Printing Tooling Applications	Electroimpact, Toray, and Janicki Join Hands with Processing Technologies for Rapid Manufacture of Large Thermoplastic Composite Parts	KraussMaffei Capacity Expansion in the US

Lucintel Corporate Customers

Private Equity Customers

Customer Quotes

"With more than 20 years experience in the industry, this is the first time we have come across such an extensive market analysis for our industry." Ven Cote, CEO, ZCL

"The insights we gained from Lucintel work helped with our business plan…a wonderful professional job…" Mike Jackson, Stahlin

"The report from Lucintel is useful not only for business planners, but also for the technology officers wanting to create a roadmap …" Dr. Giulio Ranzo, Booz Allen

"The information is so comprehensive, it has allowed us to identify & focus our business development efforts. It saved months of leg-work." Bill Barz, L&L Products