Victus Nox is a success! After having received the 24-hour call-up from the US Space Force (USSF), the Alpha rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 02:28 UTC on September 15, 2023. Firefly encapsulated the payload and completed all the launch preparation operations within 24 hours from the USSF notice.
We did it y’all! Today was an incredible success for the Space Force, the Firefly team, and our nation after nailing the #VICTUSNOX responsive space mission. We launched our #AlphaRocket and deployed the satellite at the target destination following a 24-hour notice.…
— Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) September 15, 2023
The launch of FLTA003, the third for Firefly’s rocket, occurred at the first avaible launch window, only 27 hours after the call. The Victus Nox satellite was deployed at the target destination in Low Earth Orbit, decreeing the mission’s success for Firefly. They also successfully tested an Alpha stage two relight and targeted re-entry.
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Victus Nox, the US Space Force challenges for rapid satellite deployment
Build a satellite in eight months, ship it on-demand to the launch site in 60 hours, and deliver it on-demand in LEO in 24 hours. All this is Victus Nox, a special mission funded by the US Space Force to realize a new capacity: rapid satellite deployment.
This new productive and operational challenge will enable the US to replace a broken satellite or to respond to a national security threat, in a short time frame.
“This whole mission is based on what a real-world situation would be like, and making sure that this operational demo is as close to that as we can possibly get”.
— Lt. Col. MacKenzie Birchenough, leader of the Space Force Tactically Responsive Space program
A contract was awarded to Millennium Space System in 2022 to provide a space awareness satellite, while a separate agreement was signed with Firefly Aerospace to deliver the payload in LEO.
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Firefly Alpha, a small launcher for big ambitions
Firefly Aerospace’s mission states that they want “to enable our world to launch, land, and operate in space – anywhere, anytime.” They aim to become a space transportation company that provides end-to-end services.
Alpha is the first successful component of their portfolio, enriched by:
- Medium Launch Vehicle (MLV), a 2-stage medium launcher co-developed with Northrop Grumman, based on Antares 330 first stage and scheduled to fly in 2025;
- Blue Ghost, a lunar lander delivering and hosting customer payloads on the Moon’s surface, with a yearly launch schedule and a planned first mission in 2024;
- Elytra is a highly mobile and scalable orbital vehicle offering a complete set of in-orbit services to customers. Based on the heritage and learnings from Spaceflight’s Sherpa, Elytra will be ready to fly in 2024 hosting FANTM-RiDE, an innovative satellite dispenser developed by Xtenti LCC.
Firefly intends to make Victus Nox an opportunity to enhance its launch turnaround time and to improve the predictability of its future mission schedule.
“Firefly emerges from this mission set ready to go at a much quicker pace.“
— Bill Weber, Firefly CEO
Applying Victus Nox’s experience to its extensive portfolio seems to be a promising strategy to bring Firefly’s ambitions closer to reality.
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