The rocket business is on fire, literally.

With the technology available today, and the hope that Mars will one day serve as a backup planet for Earth, the rocket business is booming.

As the interest in space exploration takes off, many companies and start-ups have been developing different kinds of rockets. Whether they transport satellites, telecom, or hope to one day achieve space tourism, their first objective is to have a successful launch.

Firefly, a Texas-based start-up, failed to reach this milestone, since they were forced to “auto destroy” their rocket following the instructions of the US Space Force Officials. The aim of this decision was to avoid potential damage or injuries.

The launch attempt took place on Thursday, September 2, at Vandenberg Space Force Base, north of Los Angeles. The lift-off which occurred at 6:59 p.m was considered successful for two whole minutes of glory- until taken down at 7:01 p.m.

However, the explosion was not a complete failure. Firefly’s official media posted a statement claiming the experiment proved successful in various areas.

"While we did not meet all of our mission objects, we did achieve a number of them: successful first stage ignition, liftoff the pad, progression to supersonic speed, and we obtained a substantial amount of flight data”. The cause of failure is still to be determined.

Even though the rocket got blasted to pieces, trial and error is an essential part of the process in this area of business. Other companies such as SpaceX, Rocket Lab, or recently ASTR, also have had their fair share of failed prototypes.

Let’s just hope they perfect the rocketships before inviting us to space.

Bibliography

André, L. (2021, September 3) Firefly's rocket explosion stuns spectators; public urged to avoid debris. [Photograph]. Santa María Times. https://santamariatimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/fireflys-rocket-explosion-stuns-spectators-public-urged-to-avoid-debris/article_03587d0a-86e6-5529-9257-fe0edc80c008.html

N.A. (n.d.) Firefly Alpha Terminated Mid-Flight. Vanderberg Space Force Base. https://www.vandenberg.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2763829/firefly-alpha-terminated-mid-flight/

Wall, M. (2021, September 3) Firefly Aerospace's first Alpha rocket explodes during launch debut after major anomaly. Space.com. https://www.space.com/firefly-aerospace-first-alpha-rocket-launch-failure

Wattles, J. (2021, September 3) Rocket built by startup Firefly explodes off California coast. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/03/tech/firefly-rocket-explosion-scn/index.html