Max Polyakov and Firefly Aerospace Plan to Launch a Rocket in October or November

Max Polyakov is planning to launch the Alpha rocket in 2020 despite the pandemic. Besides Alpha, Firefly is also working on a larger rocket for payload delivery into space.

Max Polyakov's Firefly Aerospace is set to launch its first rocket for small satellites in October or November. The rocket, known as Alpha, was scheduled to lift off into space in early 2020, but the Coronavirus pandemic made the launch impossible. The pandemic has disrupted Firefly's plans and activities of other space companies worldwide due to the health protocols in place, such as physical distancing.

Alpha, the two-stage rocket, is not the only project Firefly is undertaking. The company is also constructing a larger rocket known as Beta. As part of NASA's lunar program, Firefly is working on a robotic moon lander to deliver payload on the lunar surface. Thus, the company has been busy throughout this pandemic season. As a result, it increased its employees from 250 in January to 310 today. Max Polyakov mainly funds the employees and their activities.

Firefly is working through the pandemic

So, the pandemic has only added to Firefly's normal pressures it expected in the year. The company planned for the certification of a new rocket in Briggs, receive a launch certificate for the Alpha rocket, and the certification for launch facility at Vandenberg. Work continues at Firefly, with physical distancing, masks, and sick employees allowed to work from home. Fortunately, only a few employees have been infected by the virus.

But, it is not just work at Firefly. The employees often pause to reflect and celebrate their milestones. The company released a birthday video to congratulate Max Polyakov, using the scheduled certification testing as recent as June. The video attracted about 20,000 views on Facebook, with Polyakov praising his team for their innovation.

The Alpha launch, if successful, will be a significant milestone for Firefly, whose former entity, Firefly Space System, was almost declared bankrupt in 2016. In 2019, Firefly Aerospace announced its expansion plan, which will cost about $52 million.

Alpha will reduce the cost of payload delivery

The Alpha rocket is designed to help small satellites transport payloads into space. The small satellites will only pay $15 million per mission for Firefly to deliver their cargo into the orbit. On the contrary, large rockets like SpaceX's Falcon 9 booster charge $62 million for cargo delivery.

Though Alpha's first mission will be a test flight, the rocket will carry small payloads that are part of Firefly Aerospace's DREAM project. In this project, several institutional and academic payloads will ride on the rocket at no cost. The company plans to make space affordable to all people. Alpha's second and third rockets are already under construction, with the mission set for 2021.