The first test flight of a rocket was not exactly as the company expected. Just over two minutes after launch from a base in Santa Barbara County, California, a Firefly rocket exploded Thursday evening over the Pacific Ocean.
The aerospace company he tweeted that after a normal launch from the base of the Vandenberg space force, an “anomaly” resulted “in an early end of the mission.” The U.S. Space Force’s Delta 30 space launch unit activated the Alpha rocket flight completion system, causing the explosion.
“Although we did not meet all the objectives of our mission, we achieved several: successful ignition in the first phase, take-off from the pad, progression at supersonic speed and we obtained a substantial amount of flight data,” he said Firefly on statement.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
Blue Origin, the aerospace company owned by Jeff Bezos, happiness Firefly is trying. “An impressive and very successful first step,” the company wrote on Twitter. “Go ahead!”
The Vandenberg base warned there may be remnants of “unsafe” rockets in the area and said residents should stay away.
“All recreational facilities, including the beaches at the base that were closed for launch, will remain closed until further notice due to the ongoing investigation,” the base wrote on its website.
A cause has not yet been determined. Firefly, the FAA and the Vandenberg space force base are investigating the “anomaly.”