On the 3rd of January 2020, Max Polyakov’s Firefly Aerospace, a company that manufactures ultra-lightweight launch vehicles, carried out a trial for its 4 Reaver engines. Aliona Koesnyk, its international business development director, also informed the public that available payload spaces in the company’s shuttles have been sold out for the next few years. Firefly cargo delivery consists of satellites for Earth observation and other communication instruments.
Firefly’s Mission
Max Polyakov made huge investments into Firefly Aerospace in 2017. This company’s mission is to use lightweight launchers for delivering payload cargo to the Moon surface. Firefly has its headquarters in Austin, Texas, and a Research and Development Centre located in Dnipro, one of Ukraine’s largest cities, where research and experimental tests are being carried out. Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket is a game-changer as it is cheaper to build than most other expensive projects undertaken by heavy-lift companies. It is designed to lift payloads of up to 1 ton and about 2 kilometers in height in the Low-Earth Orbit. It takes cargos of about 600 kilograms into the heliosynchronous orbit. A beta launch vehicle is in the development stage, which would cost over 30 million dollars for each launch. This one is expected to lift payloads of 4 tons to the Low-Earth orbit and up to 3 tons into the heliosynchronous orbit.
What’s Happening in Dnipro?
Firefly Research and Development Centre in Dnipro is approximately 4000 m2. Here, they carry out extensive and in-depth research work and develop new methods while optimizing existing processes in producing space rocket component parts. Ukraine has the 1071 Law that lets private companies engage in all sorts of space activities, so this country has made things easier when it comes to test launches. However, many in the space industry hope that bureaucracy will be eliminated, and so much documentation will no longer be needed for the export permission process.
Oleksandr Dondyk in Dnipro says Firefly Uses Advanced Technology
Talking about Firefly Dnipro facility, its director says a team of highly qualified workers and engineers is responsible for many specialized projects. He also mentioned that there are areas for blank production, testing, and quality control at Dnipro. Furthermore, he said the system used at Max Polyakov’s company in Ukraine enables quicker turnaround times by employing the most advanced technological processes.
