This rocket will send University of Arizona tech into space. Here's what to know

Brenna Gauchat, Arizona Republic
·3 min read

In the pursuit of further space exploration and education, Firefly Aerospace announced that its Alpha Flight 5 mission, nicknamed Noise of Summer, will launch on June 26.

The space transportation company is scheduled to open its 30-minute launch window at 9 p.m. PST.

“We’re proud to support this NASA mission that will not only prove out the capabilities of Alpha as a repeatable, reliable launch vehicle, but also advance our mission of making space for everyone by supporting some incredible student-led CubeSat initiatives,” Bill Weber, CEO of Firefly Aerospace, said in a news release.

Here's everything you need to know about this mission and the coming rocket launch.

What is Firefly Aerospace?

Headquartered in central Texas, Firefly Aerospace is a space transportation company that handles launch, lunar and on-orbit services. Firefly is dedicated to creating "responsive, reliable and affordable" space access for government and commercial customers, according to its website.

Firefly's goal is to be a single source for missions "from low Earth orbit to the surface of the Moon and beyond."

What is Alpha Flight 5?

Alpha FLTA005, also known as Alpha Flight 5 or Noise of Summer, supports Firefly’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demo 2 contract with NASA. This contract's goal is to "to validate the capabilities of launch vehicles that support a new launch class and provide more access to space for small satellites and spacecraft," according to the mission's website.

Alpha achieves the highest payload performance with the lowest cost per kilogram to orbit. This mission will deploy eight payloads — the portion of a spacecraft, like scientific instruments or communication equipment, that is necessary to achieve the mission — while in its orbital phase.

This mission will also be another responsive space operation conducted by Firefly. This means the payload will be taken to the launch pad and meted to the rocket within hours of the scheduled liftoff, compared to the weeks it typically takes.

What will be included in the payloads?

Alpha Flight 5's payloads have been selected through NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative, which aims to provide U.S. educational institutions and nonprofits with affordable access to space.

“NASA benefits by having a mechanism for low-cost technology development and scientific research to help bridge strategic knowledge gaps and accelerate flight-qualified technology," Hamilton Fernandez, mission manager with NASA’s Launch Services Program, said in the news release. "The students benefit through hands-on experience, which develops the future workforce of the U.S. space industry.”

One of the institutions chosen to contribute a payload is the University of Arizona.

Here are the other seven selected payloads:

  • KUbeSat-1 - University of Kansas

  • MESATI - University of Maine

  • R5-S4 and R5-S2-2.0 – NASA’s Johnson Space Center

  • Serenity 3 – Teachers in Space

  • SOC-i – University of Washington

  • TechEdSat-11 (TES-11) – NASA Ames Research Center

How is the University of Arizona involved in the mission?

The University of Arizona's team will demonstrate an inflatable antenna capable of high-speed communications. Once it reaches low Earth orbit, the satellite, CatSat, will deploy and inflate to transmit high-definition Earth photos to the ground five times faster than the average home internet speed.

How to watch the launch

While you will not see the rocket overhead in Arizona, you can join online to watch the launch.

Firefly will host a live stream in collaboration with NASASpaceflight beginning 30 minutes before liftoff. You can find more details at fireflyspace.com.

Where is the rocket launching from?

The rocket is scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base on the central coast of California.

The base is located in Santa Barbara County, about 5 miles from the small town of Vandenberg Village. The closest city is Lompoc, located about 10 miles south of the base, followed by Santa Maria, about 17 miles north.

SpaceX also launches its Falcon 9 rockets from the Space Force base. Those launches are often visible in Arizona.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: When is the next Firefly launch? Here's what to expect