Firefly Aerospace

Firefly Aerospace is an aerospace company developing space launch vehicles for sending small and medium-sized payloads into space. The company is headquartered in Cedar Park, Texas, and was founded in 2014 by Maureen Gannon, Max Polyakov, Michael Blum, PJ King, and Thomas Markusic.

Firefly Space Systems is a company that has a focus on the design and production of aerospace launch vehicles. Firefly Aerospace Inc. was founded in Austin, TX, to design, manufacture, and operate launch vehicles. Firefly is majority-owned by Noosphere Ventures as of March 16, 2017.

It was announced in October 2018 that Firefly Aerospace would work with York Space Systems to develop integrated launch services and spacecraft mission solutions. The company has several projects designed for small-satellite use, orbital transfer vehicle, reusable vehicles, and launch facilities. They look to promote STEM efforts through their DREAM initiative, or the Dedicated Research and Education Accelerator Mission.

Firefly Alpha is a launch vehicle developed by Firefly Aerospace for getting small satellites into space. It can deliver up to 1 metric ton into low earth orbit (LEO) and 630kg into 500km sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).

The rocketship has a 1.8m stage-one diameter, a 1.8m stage 2 diameter, a 2m payload fairing diameter, and a 29m overall length. Its stage 1 propulsion system uses the 4x reaver 1 engine, LOX/RP-1 as propellent, a turbopump propellant feed, 4 combustors, and has a thrust of 736.1 kN and an ISP (VAC) of 295.6 seconds. Its stage 2 propulsion system uses the 1X Lightning 1 engine, LOX/RP-1 propellant, 1 combustor, and has a thrust of 70.1 kN and an ISP (VAC) of 322 seconds.

Firefly Beta is a launch vehicle developed by Firefly Aerospace for delivering payloads up to 4,000kg to a 200km LEO, 3,000kg to SSEO, or delivering payloads to geosynchronous transfer orbits. Firefly Beta is the lowest cost per kg to deliver payloads into space that are under 4,000kg.

It has a 1.8m stage 1 diameter, a 2.8m stage 2 diameter, and payload fairing diameter of 2.8m, and an overall length of 31m. Its stage 1 propulsion system uses the 3X Alpha Stage 1 core, LOX/RP-1 as a propellant, a turbopump propellant feed, 12 combustors, and has a thrust of 2,208 kN and an ISP (VAC) of 295.6 seconds. The Stage 2 propulsion system uses the 1X Lightning 2 engine, LOX/RP-1 as a propellant, the turbopump propellant feed, 1 combustor, and has a thrust of 163 kN and an ISP (VAC) of 324 seconds.

On March 16, 2017, Firefly Aerospace was acquired by Noosphere Ventures for an undisclosed amount of money. Noosphere bought the majority of Firefly Aerospace assets and intellectual property in an auction held on March 16, 2017, in Menlo Park, California.