Not a bird, or a plane: Las Vegas to see 2 rockets in the sky this week
You may see a rocket flying over Las Vegas on Wednesday — but it’s not from SpaceX.
Firefly Aerospace, a space transportation company, is expected to launch its Alpha Flight 5 mission in partnership with NASA on Wednesday at 9 p.m., the company announced Friday.
The rocket, also known as Noise of Summer, is launching from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California, which is also used by SpaceX.
Noise of Summer will deploy research equipment from eight organizations across the country as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative, which aims to help universities and nonprofits have low-cost access to space.
Some of the technology being launched includes an inflatable antenna for high-speed communication from the University of Arizona and a line of spacecraft being launched into orbit from NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
Firefly CEO Bill Weber said the company has been working to make the metric-ton rocket able to quickly launch technology into space.
“We’re proud to support this NASA mission that will not only prove out the capabilities of Alpha as a repeatable, reliable launch vehicle, but also advance our mission of making space for everyone by supporting some incredible student-led CubeSat initiatives.”
The Firefly team is gearing up for another responsive space demonstration for Alpha #FLTA005 #NoiseofSummer, launching NET June 26. Many of our final launch operations kick off less than 24 hours of the scheduled liftoff. We’ll share a recap of the operations during our… pic.twitter.com/ooufwvaKed
— Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) June 24, 2024
On Friday, SpaceX is planning to launch its Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg base around 8 p.m., according to the National Reconnaissance Office. The company also launched Falcon 9 out of California on Sunday.