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LoadingFirefly Alpha
Firefly Alpha | Stairway to Seven
Firefly Alpha | Stairway to Seven launched on Thu, Mar 12, 2026, 12:50 AM UTC — a Firefly Aerospace mission.
Launch SuccessfulFirefly Aerospace
Lifted offNET Mar 2026
NET Thu, Mar 12, 2026, 12:50 AM UTC
Live coverage
Watch the webcast
Mission profile
The flight at a glance
Firefly AlphaVehicle
Firefly AerospaceProvider
Space Launch Complex 2WPad
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USALocation
Test FlightMission type
Low Earth OrbitOrbit
Flight sequence
Mission timeline
Key events from liftoff — ignition, staging, separation and deployment — with their times relative to T0.
- IgnitionT- 00:00:02
- LiftoffT+ 00:00:00
- SupersonicT+ 00:00:55
- Max-QT+ 00:01:06
- MECOT+ 00:02:32
- Stage 2 SeparationT+ 00:02:35
- SEST+ 00:02:38
- Fairing SeparationT+ 00:03:03
- SECOT+ 00:08:02
Flight simulation
Ascent to orbit
A representative gravity-turn climb for Firefly Alpha to Low Earth Orbit. Illustrative model — not this mission’s live telemetry.
Mission timeT+0:00
Altitude0.0 km
Velocity0.00 km/s
PhaseLiftoff
T+0:00 / 8:00
SimulatedRepresentative Firefly Alpha ascent profile — illustrative model, not this mission’s live telemetry.
The mission
Stairway to Seven
Firefly Alpha's Flight 7 is a test flight and return-To-Flight for the launch vehicle after its April 2025 launch failure. It will test and validate key systems ahead of Firefly’s Block II configuration upgrade on Flight 8 that’s designed to enhance reliability and manufacturability across the vehicle. Flight 7 is the last flown in Alpha’s current configuration and will test multiple Block II subsystems, including the in-house avionics and thermal improvements, to gain flight heritage and validate lessons learned ahead of the full configuration upgrade on Flight 8. This launch also delivered a demonstrator payload for Lockheed Martin.
Around this launch
Related news
No news linked to this launch yet
As coverage publishes, deduplicated articles about this mission will appear here.
Good to know
Frequently asked
What time does Firefly Alpha | Stairway to Seven launch?
Firefly Alpha | Stairway to Seven is scheduled to lift off Thu, Mar 12, 2026, 12:50 AM UTC.
Where can I watch Firefly Alpha | Stairway to Seven?
Watch the official live webcast embedded on this page — it goes live shortly before liftoff.
Who is launching Firefly Alpha | Stairway to Seven?
Firefly Alpha | Stairway to Seven is an Firefly Aerospace mission flying on a Firefly Alpha.
Where does Firefly Alpha | Stairway to Seven launch from?
It lifts off from Space Launch Complex 2W, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.