Another rocket is scheduled to take off from Vandenberg this week — and it’s not SpaceX

Another rocket is expected to take off from Vandenberg Space Force Base this week — but it’s not a SpaceX launch as we’ve come to expect.

Firefly Aerospace, whose first launch attempt in 2021 ended in a fiery explosion, is expected to launch its Alpha rocket from the Central Coast base on Wednesday.

According to a Vandenberg news release, the Alpha FLTA004 rocket is scheduled to launch between 9:18 and 9:39 a.m.

U.S. Space Force Col. Bryan Titus, Space Launch Delta 30 vice commander, is the launch decision authority.

“At Vandenberg Space Force Base, our Space Launch Delta 30 Guardians and Airmen play a vital role in delivering robust spaceport capabilities that directly provide the ‘to’ part of U.S. Space Force’s mission to secure our nation’s interests in, from, and to space,” Titus said in the release. “Our commercial launch partners serve as our invaluable industrial base, enabling us to achieve robust national security objectives in support of the entire Joint Force.”

The mission, called Fly the Lightning, will launch a payload for Lockheed Martin.

“Fireflies are preparing for another rapid launch operation where the encapsulated payload fairing will be mated to the rocket just hours before liftoff,” the aerospace company said in a tweet on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday. “We’re hoping Mother Nature cooperates for a liftoff of @LockheedMartin‘s payload tomorrow morning from @SLDelta30.”

Firefly last launched a rocket in September, in a surprise launch that was visible from across the western United States — including the Grand Canyon.

A live webcast of the launch will be available at youtube.com/watch?v=QMJv-54Dpcc.