Saved Download on the App Store
← Back to launches
Firefly Alpha | Stairway to Seven
Firefly AerospaceLaunch Successful

Stairway to Seven

Firefly Alpha

Historical mission record

This page records Firefly Alpha | Stairway to Seven and its reported outcome: Launch Successful. The date above is a historical record.

Source record updated . This is a source update, not a confirmed launch time.

Check the source: Alpha FLTA007 ↗ · Launch Library ↗ · Flight Club ↗

How to read launch targets and status

The latest on this mission

What changed?

Launch success.

Update ↗

Official Webcast by Firefly Aerospace has started

Update ↗
Mission status
Launch Successful

Status reported by the mission data provider.

LAUNCH SITEVandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Mission

Firefly Alpha's Flight 7 is a test flight and return-To-Flight for the launch vehicle after its April 2025 launch failure. It will test and validate key systems ahead of Firefly’s Block II configuration upgrade on Flight 8 that’s designed to enhance reliability and manufacturability across the vehicle. Flight 7 is the last flown in Alpha’s current configuration and will test multiple Block II subsystems, including the in-house avionics and thermal improvements, to gain flight heritage and validate lessons learned ahead of the full configuration upgrade on Flight 8. This launch also delivered a demonstrator payload for Lockheed Martin.

Launch vehicle
Firefly Alpha
Mission type
Test Flight
Destination orbit
Low Earth Orbit
Launch pad
Space Launch Complex 2W
Provider
Firefly Aerospace

The vehicle

Published configuration and flight history.

Firefly Alpha
Firefly Aerospace / Jack Beyer
Launch vehicle

Firefly Alpha

Firefly Alpha (Firefly α) is a two-stage orbital expendable launch vehicle developed by the American aerospace company Firefly Aerospace to cover the commercial small satellite launch market. Alpha is intended to provide launch options for both full vehicle and ride share customers.

Height
29.6 m
Diameter
1.82 m
Stages
2
Recorded launches
7
First flight
2021-09-03

Recorded timing

This is a mission record, not an upcoming calendar appointment.

2h windowPublished target
WINDOW OPENS
WINDOW CLOSES

Target ·

The target marker shows its position within the published window. The schedule may change before launch.

Flight timeline

Planned sequence, not live telemetry. Times are relative to the launch target.

  1. T−00:00:02

    Ignition

  2. T+00:00:00

    Liftoff

  3. T+00:00:55

    Supersonic

  4. T+00:01:06

    Max-Q

  5. T+00:02:32

    MECO

  6. T+00:02:35

    Stage 2 Separation

Show the full sequence (9 events)
  1. T+00:02:38

    SES

  2. T+00:03:03

    Fairing Separation

  3. T+00:08:02

    SECO

Launch site & orbit

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

The mission in perspective

Launch site & orbit

Explore the launch pad, then pull back to see the shape of the destination orbit.

Understand this orbit
NASA Blue Marble map of Earth's continents and oceans
Representative orbit · accelerated illustrationNo live tracking or simulated ascent. NASA Blue Marble.

Coverage & sources

Links supplied by the mission data provider.
Coverage and times may change.

Explore on iPhone

Browse mission details and discover upcoming launches in Spacian.

Open mission in Spacian ↗
Download on the App Store