Large flown piece of carbon fiber from the Firefly Alpha, a two-stage orbital expendable launch vehicle launched by American aerospace company Firefly Aerospace from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on September 3, 2021. The curved wreckage, 22.5 x 13.5, with smooth exterior and rough interior, features a partial label to an upper corner.
The Alpha vehicle wields 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) payload capability to low Earth orbit and 600 kg (1,300 lb) to Sun-synchronous orbit, with a projected launch cost of $15 million per launch. Designed to compete with vehicles like the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), the Alpha utilizes Reaver-1 and Lightning-1 engines and a lightweight carbon composite structure to reduce launch weight, resulting in improved payload fraction.
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