Alpha returns to flight
Posted: Sun, Mar 15, 2026, 8:24 AM ET (1224 GMT)
Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket returned to flight Wednesday evening, more than 10 months after a launch failure. The Alpha lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 8:50 pm EDT (0050 GMT Thursday), successfully reaching low Earth orbit. The rocket carried a demonstration payload for Lockheed Martin, but neither Lockheed nor Firefly disclosed additional details about it. The launch was the first for Alpha since an April 2025 failure. The launch was also the last for the current version of Alpha, with Firefly planning to introduce an upgraded Block 2 version of the rocket later this year.
Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket returned to flight Wednesday evening, more than 10 months after a launch failure. The Alpha lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 8:50 pm EDT (0050 GMT Thursday), successfully reaching low Earth orbit. The rocket carried a demonstration payload for Lockheed Martin, but neither Lockheed nor Firefly disclosed additional details about it. The launch was the first for Alpha since an April 2025 failure. The launch was also the last for the current version of Alpha, with Firefly planning to introduce an upgraded Block 2 version of the rocket later this year.
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