Firefly Aerospace, a rising player in the small satellite launch market, is expanding its launch operations to new sites in Virginia and Sweden as part of a strategic effort to avoid the growing congestion at traditional U.S. launch sites in Florida and California. The company announced plans in June 2024 to utilize the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) in Virginia and the Esrange Space Centre in Sweden for future launches of its Alpha rocket, with operations expected to begin as early as 2026.
The move comes as Firefly seeks to overcome delays caused by weather and scheduling bottlenecks at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, where the company has historically launched its Alpha rocket.
Speaking at the annual meeting of the Global Spaceport Alliance on January 27, Adam Oakes, Firefly’s Vice President of Launch Vehicles, emphasized the need for diversification. “There is a traffic jam, and basic things like the weather are going to be the biggest holdup,” Oakes said, referencing the company’s experiences at Vandenberg.
Firefly’s plans include launching from an existing pad at MARS in Virginia, which is currently used by Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket, and developing a new pad at Esrange in Sweden. The Esrange Space Centre, operated by the Swedish Space Corporation, has a long history of supporting suborbital launches and scientific missions but has yet to host an orbital rocket launch.
“Esrange has basically done everything for the science community in space except an orbital rocket,” Oakes noted, highlighting the site’s experience with over 600 sounding rocket launches and ground station operations. “It was the perfect partnership and the biggest softball of all the opportunities out there,” he added.
Firefly has set an aggressive timeline for its expansion. The company plans to conduct five Alpha launches in 2025, all from Vandenberg, as it continues to build its launch cadence. To date, Firefly has completed five Alpha launches, including a successful mission in July 2024 that deployed a set of NASA-sponsored cubesats into orbit.
By 2026, Firefly expects to begin launching from both MARS and Esrange. The first Alpha launch from Wallops Island, Virginia, is targeted for the first quarter of 2026, while the inaugural launch from Esrange is planned for late 2026 or early 2027.
“It’s going to be a busy year for Firefly in 2026,” Oakes said, though he did not specify the expected flight rate. The company is currently working with Esrange to develop the necessary infrastructure for Alpha launches, including regulatory approvals and technical preparations.
One of the key challenges Firefly faces is navigating the regulatory landscape for international launches. Oakes acknowledged that regulatory hurdles can significantly delay launch schedules but expressed optimism about the progress being made. “The regulatory piece can really put you back if you want to let it,” he said. “We have a lot of paperwork in place. We’re not quite there on everything, but things are moving in the right direction.”
The issue of regulatory interoperability was a major theme at the Global Spaceport Alliance meeting. Paul Cremins, Head of Spaceflight at the United Kingdom’s Department for Transport, emphasized the need for streamlined processes to enable rockets to launch from multiple countries. “We want to lure the operators in, so you want to make it as attractive to those operators as you possibly can,” Cremins said.
He suggested that recognizing other countries’ launch licenses and simplifying environmental approvals could help reduce the regulatory burden, particularly for companies like Firefly that plan to launch from multiple international sites.
Firefly’s expansion reflects a broader trend in the space industry, as companies seek to diversify their launch options to meet growing demand for satellite deployments. By adding MARS and Esrange to its portfolio, Firefly aims to offer customers greater flexibility and reliability, while also reducing reliance on congested U.S. launch sites.
The company’s efforts also align with the global push to make spaceports more interoperable, enabling rockets to launch from a variety of locations with minimal regulatory friction. As Firefly continues to build its launch capabilities, its success could pave the way for other companies to follow suit, fostering greater international collaboration in the space industry.
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