Firefly AlphaFirefly Alpha | Stairway to Seven
Launch Time
Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 12:50 AM UTC
Current Status
Go for Launch
Firefly Alpha's Flight 7 will be 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 will be 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.
Launch Provider
Firefly Aerospace
Launch Vehicle
Firefly Alpha
Launch Date
28 February 2026
Launch Time (Minute)
12:50 AM
Launch Window
248 minutes
Launch Status
Go for Launch
Test Flight
Low Earth Orbit
Firefly Alpha's Flight 7 will be 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 will be 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.
Credit: Firefly Aerospace / Jack Beyer
Window Start
12:50 AM
Liftoff (T-0)
12:50 AM
Window End
04:58 AM
Firefly Aerospace
Commercial
Firefly Aerospace is an American private aerospace firm based in Austin, Texas, that develops small and medium-sized launch vehicles for commercial launches to orbit.
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After a brief grounding earlier this month following the Starlink Group 17-32 second stage deorbit… The post Launch Preview: Firefly to launch Alpha, SpaceX to launch three Starlink missions appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.
"You absolutely have to have a plan to compete with SpaceX on price."
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 10, 2026 Firefly Aerospace is preparing its next Alpha rocket mission, Flight 7 "Stairway to Seven", as a dedicated return-to-flight test from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The Alpha FLTA007 rocket will launch no earlier than February 18 on a mission focused on achieving nominal performance of both the first and second stages rather than deploying an operation