Firefly lunar lander touches down on the moon
POSTED BY: second
UPDATED: Wednesday, August 5, 2026 17:26
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Good news TWO. Still, with everybody launching satellites into space, were going to need safe corridors out there to get past them.
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Quote:Even more good news: Flight three will carry satellites:
Originally posted by THG:
Good news TWO. Still, with everybody launching satellites into space, were going to need safe corridors out there to get past them.
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Flight Three, Firefly Alpha, Firefly Aerospace
Launch Status Date/Time May Change
Projected To Launch July, 2022
Third flight of the Firefly Alpha small sat launcher, carrying its first payload for NASA.
https://www.spacelaunchschedule.com/launch/firefly-alpha-flight-three
CubeSat Launch Initiative -- Firefly will launch 11 cubes.
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/15.higginbotham_n
asa_town_hall_2021_smallsat-csli.pdf
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two
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Yea more satellites...
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Eric Berger - 6/2/2022
Firefly ran afoul of rules set by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, CFIUS. In December 2021, the Air Force blocked Firefly from working at the Vandenberg launch site due to these CFIUS complications with the company's primary investor, Ukrainian Max Polyakov. Eventually, the issue was resolved this spring after Polyakov sold his interest in Firefly, and Firefly regained access to the launch site. But it was a messy and distracting situation at a time when Firefly needed to focus on reaching orbit.
Alpha Flight One
During Alpha's debut flight last September, one of the rocket's four Reaver engines stopped firing after an electrical connector failed, closing one of the engine's main propellant valves. This sent a signal to the Reaver engine to shut down.
After the flight, Firefly engineers found that pins inside the electrical conductor had been subjected to higher than anticipated vibrations and sheared off. "Because this was a unique vibrational environment, this is probably a phenomenon we could only see in flight," Markusic said.
He explained that the engines on Alpha were some of the first Reavers the company had built, and they "ran a little rougher" than recent engines the company has built. Because the newer flight engines operate with fewer vibrations, he does not think the problem of the electrical pins shearing off will recur.
Nevertheless, the company has taken the precaution of moving the electrical conductor higher on the vehicle, where there are fewer vibrations, and also given it a dedicated mounting bracket to further isolate it. "That problem is not going to happen again," Markusic said.
Alpha Flight Two
Firefly noted one other issue on Alpha's first flight that it hadn't expected. As the engines moved and rumbled during ascent, the rocket's body began to oscillate in phase with the motion of the engines. This is known as the "tail wags the dog" phenomenon.
Engineers had not observed the rocket oscillating at the same frequency as the engines on the test stand, because the stand itself absorbed that motion. Markusic said that, because the engineering team now understands this phenomenon with Alpha, it can be addressed with some modest changes to the rocket's guidance and navigation software.
There are other reasons for confidence heading into the next orbital launch attempt. This is the second build of Alpha, so the hardware is more mature. A lot of the parts and sections of the booster simply fit better, Markusic said, making for a more solid overall build. There is also less wear and tear. Before the first Alpha launched, it had been test-fired 18 times. The second rocket has been tested once.
"We're feeling really good about this second mission," he said. "I fully expect the second flight to go to orbit, but we’re going to see minor anomalies." Probably his biggest concern is igniting and flying Alpha's second stage, which was not tested during the first launch.
The hardware for flight two is already on site at Vandenberg. Markusic said the company is still waiting for final range availability and launch approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, but there is a tentative launch date set for July 17, (which has since been moved to September 2022.)
More at https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/06/after-9-difficult-months-firef
ly-is-set-to-take-its-next-shot-at-orbit/
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two
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Firefly works toward second Alpha launch. Firefly Aerospace is preparing for the second launch of its Alpha rocket in late August or early September, Space News reports. "Our target is in the next 45 to 60 days of being able to launch," Peter Schumacher, interim chief executive of Firefly, told the publication. "It’s really pending, at this point, range availability." The rocket itself is ready for flight, he said, other than performing a wet dress rehearsal and a static fire test, which he said would be done within two weeks of launch.
https://spacenews.com/firefly-gears-up-for-second-alpha-launch/
Modeling a rocket's debris ... The company is waiting on a launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration, which in turn depends on approval of a new debris model for the rocket. The revised debris model came after the first Alpha rocket exploded in flight when the range activated its flight termination system. Debris from the rocket, made primarily of carbon composite materials, fell outside of the range, including in nearby communities, although no damage was reported.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/07/rocket-report-a-heavy-lift-roc
ket-funded-by-crypto-falcon-9-damaged-in-transport/
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two
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https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/releases/northrop-grumman-teams-
with-firefly-aerospace-to-develop-antares-rocket-upgrade-and-new-medium-launch-vehicle
CHANDLER, Ariz. – Aug. 8, 2022 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) and Firefly Aerospace have joined forces to provide an American-built first-stage upgrade for the Antares rocket and a new medium launch vehicle to serve commercial, civil and national security space launch markets.
“Through our collaboration, we will first develop a fully domestic version of our Antares rocket, the Antares 330, for Cygnus space station commercial resupply services, followed by an entirely new medium class launch vehicle,” said Scott Lehr, vice president and general manager, launch and missile defense systems, Northrop Grumman. “Northrop Grumman and Firefly have been working on a combined strategy and technical development plan to meet current and future launch requirements.”
https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/releases/northrop-grumman-teams-
with-firefly-aerospace-to-develop-antares-rocket-upgrade-and-new-medium-launch-vehicle
It's alive!!!
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Quote:The partnership means Northrop Grumman will replace the current Antares rocket, which is built in Ukraine and powered by Russian engines, with a more powerful version (called the Antares 330) that can carry heavier payloads.
Originally posted by THG:
“Northrop Grumman and Firefly have been working on a combined strategy and technical development plan to meet current and future launch requirements.”
https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/releases/northrop-grumman-teams-
with-firefly-aerospace-to-develop-antares-rocket-upgrade-and-new-medium-launch-vehicle
The move removes Northrop Grumman's dependency on Ukraine and Russia for critical components of the Antares rocket, which the company uses to fly Cygnus cargo ship missions to the International Space Station for NASA.
https://www.space.com/northrop-grumman-firefly-replace-russian-engines
-antares-rocket
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two
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Quote:
Originally posted by second:
The move removes Northrop Grumman's dependency on Ukraine and Russia for critical components of the Antares rocket...
Well... That doesn't sound very "patriotic". We're supposed to be okay with $15/gal of gas to support Ukraine according to Steven Colbert, right?
I guess Northrop Grumman doesn't care about Ukraine just like everybody else doesn't care about Ukraine.
Womp Womp
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Falsus in unum, falsus in omnibus
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Quote:If it wants to stay in business, a Capitalist business like Northrop Grumman must have its engines no matter how long the Ukraine/Russian War goes on or who wins, which means it will NOT buy engines from either Russia or Ukraine. Capitalists do NOT play favorites, choosing Ukraine or Russia, unless the Capitalist is a fool destined to go out of business when the wrong side wins. That is how a successful Capitalist's business works, 6ix.
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:Quote:
Originally posted by second:
The move removes Northrop Grumman's dependency on Ukraine and Russia for critical components of the Antares rocket...
Well... That doesn't sound very "patriotic". We're supposed to be okay with $15/gal of gas to support Ukraine according to Steven Colbert, right?
I guess Northrop Grumman doesn't care about Ukraine just like everybody else doesn't care about Ukraine.
Womp Womp
A Capitalist's business also sets its own prices for gasoline to make the maximum profit and it does not set prices to please politicians or customers of gasoline. Customers want low price but lower prices are wrong if the business is run to be as profitable as possible. That is how Capitalism works, 6ix.
There are a few countries where the politicians set prices of gasoline, but that is because those countries' businesses are not controlled by Capitalists.
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two
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Live updates: Artemis I launch scrubbed as engine problem defies fast fix
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/live-updates-artemis-i-launc
h-scrubbed-as-engine-problem-defies-fast-fix/ar-AA11dWAk?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=e00636d0f80a47a30e04c28e2cf81afa
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