Firefly Aerospace falls after losing a rocket stage during a preflight test
Firefly Aerospace shares plunged as much as 13% in after-hours trading on Tuesday after the company disclosed an incident that resulted in the loss of the rocket stage during a test at its facility in Briggs, Texas.
“During testing at Firefly’s facility in Briggs Texas, the first stage of Firefly’s Alpha Flight 7 rocket experienced an event that resulted in a loss of the stage,” Firefly shared in a statement. The company said that all personnel were safe and that it’s assessing the impact to its stage test stand, with no other facilities affected.
The mission for the tested vehicle, which the rocket maker is preparing for Lockheed Martin, is planned to launch no earlier than Q4 2025.
Firefly, which made the headlines after successfully landing its Blue Ghost robotic spacecraft on the moon in March, has been struggling recently after a series of failed launches, including its most recent Alpha launch in April, which exploded during a preflight test.
