SXSW-Timed Attraction In Cedar Park Had Some Real Fire Power

CEDAR PARK, TX — Each year at SXSW, the festival brings attractions with some real fire power. Officials at Cedar Park-based Firefly Aerospace capitalized on the crowds with a demonstration taking that notion to its full extent.

In a demo staged at the company's engineering site on Test Stand 1, the company fired up its "Lightning 1" engine at 10 percent thrust for about a minute's time. It's that engine company officials hope will propel the second stage of their "Firefly Alpha" rocket into space as early as next year, according a report by Spaceflight Insider.

The staging at Test Stand is designed to facilitate up to 450,000 pounds (2,000 kilonewtons) of thrust, according to the report. The Lightning 1 engine is designed to have a maximum vacuum thrust of 15,714 pounds (69.9 kilonewtons).

Currently under development, the engine is being developed to power the upper stage of the company’s 95-foot-tall (29-meter-tall), two-stage Firefly Alpha rocket, Spaceflight Insider reported. The full vehicle is designed to be capable of sending some 2,200 pounds (1000 kilograms) into low-Earth orbit (LEO) for about $10 million. Additionally, it is described as being able to send 1,300 pounds (600 kilograms) into a 310-mile (500-kilometer) Sun-synchronous orbit, according to the report.

Markusic said the project has cost the company about $100 million.

Firefly Aerospace officials said the company is about 18 months away from launching Firefly Alpha. The company has about 120 employees working on the engines and structural elements of the vehicle.

If you missed the demonstration, here's a pretty cool video below. Be warned in advance that it's loud, so check your volume before playing and adjust accordingly.

>>> Read the full story at Spaceflight Insider

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