Firefly puts Alpha rocket NASA mission on hold to study data
NASA Space Technology Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha FLTA005 rocket stands at Space Launch Complex 2 (SLC-2) in support of the “Noise of Summer” mission. Image: Firefly Aerospace / Sean ParkerUpdate 9:30 p.m. EDT: Firefly puts launch on hold to allow “more time to evaluate data and test systems from the first attempt.” No new launch date has been announced.Firefly Aerospace is taking more time before launching its fifth Alpha rocket following a last minute ground systems issue Monday night. This will be Firefly’s first mission with NASA as the customer. When it launches, the two-stage, 29.48 meter (96.7-foot) tall rocket will send eight CubeSats from multiple universities and NASA centers to a sun-synchronous Earth orbit.In a social media post, the company stated that it’s standing down “to give the team more time to evaluate data and...