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Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket explodes during first launch
Late on Thursday evening, aerospace company Firefly‘s first Alpha rocket to be launched into space exploded after only 2 1/2 minutes in flight. The Alpha rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base’s SLC-2 complex, heading west over the Pacific ocean. The rocket flew through the air for less than 3 minutes before it began rotating end over end, eventually exploding into a gazillion pieces.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket 🚀 explodes shortly after launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Firefly?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Firefly</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/fireflyalpha?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#fireflyalpha</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/anomaly?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#anomaly</a> <a href="https://t.co/zvwXyomnNj">pic.twitter.com/zvwXyomnNj</a></p>— Sri Lanka Tweet 🇱🇰 (@SriLankaTweet) <a href="https://twitter.com/SriLankaTweet/status/1433659778698342402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
An “anomaly” is what caused the explosion, according to the Texas-based company. Firefly commented on the explosion in a tweet, saying “Alpha experienced an anomaly during first stage ascent that resulted in the loss of the vehicle. As we gather more information, additional details will be provided.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Prior to entering the countdown, the Range cleared the pad and all surrounding areas to minimize risk to Firefly employees, base staff, and the general public. We are continuing to work with the Range, following all safety protocols.</p>— Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) <a href="https://twitter.com/Firefly_Space/status/1433612371948281861?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Firefly’s formal statement on the Alpha rocket explosion
Firefly also released a formal statement on the botched launch, immediately after the aforementioned tweets.
The statement is included below:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Official Statement of our First Test Flight <a href="https://t.co/t6QoOmpwrN">pic.twitter.com/t6QoOmpwrN</a></p>— Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) <a href="https://twitter.com/Firefly_Space/status/1433664059975643161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
