Firefly Aerospace aborted an attempted launch Friday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California after an unexpected engine shutdown.

An Alpha rocket was scheduled to blast off into space and perform tests in orbit, but shortly after ignition, an engine shut down, leaving the rocket on the launch pad without any ostensible damage.

"The vehicle went into auto-abort after ignition," Firefly said on Twitter. "This is designed into the system to ensure safety. The team scrubbed tonight's launch attempt and is reviewing data to determine our next launch window."

The company didn't immediately say what caused the auto-abort system to engage.

The launch was aimed at completing a test mission, dubbed "To The Black," during which the Alpha rocket would deploy several satellites into low-Earth orbit.

Firefly, one of NASA's contractors on the Artemis lunar program, aims to become a major player in the small commercial satellite launch market, which has become highly competitive.

Friday's aborted launch is the second time Firefly had to abort a "To The Black" launch. A prior attempt on Sept. 11 had to be aborted due to an unusual drop in helium pressure in the rocket.

The company's first Alpha rocket launch attempt, on Sept. 3, 2021, ended in an explosion minutes after liftoff.

Related Links
Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

NASA says Artemis launch before November will be 'difficult'
Washington (AFP) Sept 27, 2022
It will be "difficult" for NASA to make a new attempt to launch its massive Moon rocket in October, an official from the US space agency said Tuesday, with a lift-off in November looking more likely. The SLS rocket, the most powerful ever designed by NASA, had to be returned overnight to its storage hangar in order to shelter it from the approach of Hurricane Ian. The next possible launch windows - determined according to the positions of the Earth and the Moon - are from October 17 to 31, t ... read more