Naomi Cooper
Firefly Aerospace is establishing a new launch site at Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia, for its two-stage small launch vehicle Alpha, which provides launch services for commercial and national security missions.
The company said Monday it will configure Launch Pad-0A to begin launching the Alpha rocket in 2025.
“Virginia Spaceport Authority further sets us up for success by enabling a streamlined approach to launching both Alpha and MLV from one location at MARS with minimal congestion from the broader launch market,” said Bill Weber, CEO of Firefly Aerospace.
Firefly is planning to operate a launch control center, horizontal integration facility and administrative office space on Virginia’s Eastern Shore and use existing vehicle and payload processing facilities in the area to enable rapid launch capabilities.
With a payload capacity of more than 1,000 kg to low-Earth orbit, the Alpha rocket is expected to launch monthly by 2026 after launching up to six times in 2025 and four times in 2024.
