Another commercial company is poised to try and stick a moon landing early Sunday when Firefly Aerospace aims to send the Blue Ghost lander down to the surface. "Blue Ghost is ready to take the wheel!
Firefly Aerospace recently attempted its second launch of the Alpha rocket, named "Back to the Future," from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The mission aimed to deploy three satellites into orbit, including a cubesat for the educational nonprofit Teachers in Space and two for the company's own research. Despite a successful liftoff, the rocket experienced an issue with its second stage, failing to achieve the desired orbit. This setback follows Firefly's first launch in September, which also did not reach orbit due to a different issue. The company, however, remains optimistic, focusing on the progress made and the data gathered to refine their rocket technology for future launches. Firefly's CEO, Bill Weber, emphasized the importance of learning from these experiences to enhance reliability and performance in upcoming missions.
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