Firefly Alpha Rocket Fails Again, Lockheed Martin's LM 400 Satellite Crashes into Ocean

Firefly Aerospace’s ambitious space mission came to an abrupt end on Tuesday when its Alpha rocket failed during ascent, sending Lockheed Martin’s self-funded LM 400 Technology Demonstrator satellite spiraling into the Pacific Ocean.

The rocket, launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, encountered a major issue just two minutes after liftoff. According to Firefly, the upper stage engine nozzle broke off during stage separation — a critical point where the rocket's upper portion detaches from its booster. This malfunction drastically reduced engine thrust, preventing the rocket from achieving its target orbit.

Livestream Revealed Early Signs of Trouble

Viewers watching the livestream noticed several pieces of debris breaking away from the rocket mid-flight. Moments before the anomaly, on-screen altitude and velocity data vanished earlier than expected, hinting at a possible telemetry or hardware fault.

Despite continuing to fire for several minutes and reaching an altitude of 320 kilometers (about 200 miles), the rocket's upper stage failed to maintain trajectory. Instead, Earth's gravity pulled it back, and both the stage and satellite plunged into a designated safe impact zone in the Pacific Ocean, just north of Antarctica.

One More Failure in Firefly's Rocky History

This marks the fourth failure in six Alpha missions since the rocket's debut in 2021. The loss is particularly significant as this was Firefly's first launch under a new agreement with Lockheed Martin, which planned up to 25 launches through 2029.

Lockheed Martin’s LM 400 satellite aimed to test advanced space technologies for future use, including by the Pentagon. A Lockheed spokesperson acknowledged the setback, saying, “Navigating risk and going fast are part of these self-funded demonstrations,” and stressed that lessons learned would benefit future missions.

An Ongoing Investigation

Shortly after the failure, Firefly briefly acknowledged a problem on social platform X (formerly Twitter), stating the rocket had reached a "lower than planned orbit," but the post was quickly deleted. The company later confirmed it is working closely with Lockheed Martin, the U.S. Space Force, and the Federal Aviation Administration to investigate the cause of the failure.

A Tumultuous Journey for Firefly Aerospace

Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, Firefly Aerospace has had a turbulent history. It declared bankruptcy in 2017, was restructured amid U.S. national security concerns in 2022, and replaced its CEO in 2024 following internal misconduct. However, the company scored a major win earlier in 2025 when it successfully landed on the Moon — a first for a private U.S. firm on its debut lunar attempt.

Despite Tuesday’s setback, Firefly remains a key player in the competitive commercial launch market, vying for Pentagon and NASA contracts alongside SpaceX and Rocket Lab. With a focus on rapid launch capabilities, especially for national security payloads, the stakes for Firefly's reliability and success have never been higher.