Firefly’s Alpha Rocket Resumes Flights, Successfully Reaches Orbit Written 18 March 2026
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Firefly’s Alpha rocket lifts off from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base on March 11, 2026. | Credit: VideoFromSpace; YouTube; Framegrab
Aviation Week reports, “Firefly Aerospace has returned to flight after nearly one year, ready to resume its mission to bring additional launch capacity to hungry U.S. government and commercial space customers. The Alpha launch vehicle took off March 11 from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg SFB in California at 5:50 p.m. PDT, following several attempts scrubbed due to high winds and atypical sensor readings. But with the weather and sensors finally cooperating, the small-lift rocket carried its cargo to orbit at last.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Video
Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket returns to flight. (Launch takes place at the 00:29 mark)
VideoFromSpace; YouTube