Overview
- Alpha lifted off at 8:50 p.m. ET on March 11 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, reached orbit, deployed a Lockheed Martin demonstrator, and executed a second‑stage relight.
- Flight 7 closed out the Block 1 configuration and validated elements for Block II, including a new in‑house avionics suite and upgraded thermal protection.
- Block II will lengthen both stages by about seven feet, strengthen carbon‑composite structures using automated manufacturing, and consolidate batteries and avionics built in‑house.
- Firefly traced the April 2025 failure to first‑stage structural failure from higher‑than‑expected aeroheating and the September 2025 test‑stand blast to fluid‑line contamination, and the company says it instituted broad process improvements.
- Shares of Firefly Aerospace rose after the launch, with outlets reporting gains ranging from roughly 6% to nearly 13%, as the company turns to preparing Alpha Flight 8 with the full Block II configuration.