Firefly Aerospace has announced a delay to the Flight 7 launch of its Alpha rocket following an explosion on a test stand. The incident, which occurred at the company's Briggs, Texas, facility on September 29, resulted in the destruction of the first stage being tested.

According to a statement released on November 12, coinciding with Firefly's third-quarter financial results, the explosion was attributed to "minute hydrocarbon contamination" in a fluid line of one of the four engines. This contamination was caused by a process error during the assembly of the stage, not a design flaw.

“As this was not a design issue, those corrections included increasing inspection requirements for the fluid systems, optimizing the first-stage sensors and incorporating additional automated aborts for testing,” said Jason Kim, Firefly’s chief executive, on an earnings call.

The company has since implemented process improvements, including increased inspection requirements for fluid systems and enhanced sensors. A company-wide "quality stand-down" was also conducted to further refine processes. “We’re going to continue to enhance our reliability and quality culture,” he added.

Flight 7 is slated to carry a technology demonstration payload for Lockheed Martin. The second stage and payload fairing are already at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The launch is now projected for late in the fourth quarter of this year or early in the first quarter of next year, utilizing the next available Alpha booster.

This mission serves as a return-to-flight for the Alpha rocket, following the unsuccessful Flight 6 launch in April, which failed to reach orbit due to structural issues caused by aeroheating. “I have full confidence in our vehicle’s design as well as our passionate and dedicated Alpha team to return to flight safely,” Kim said.

While the Alpha program faces delays, Firefly assures that the issues will have a minimal impact on the development of the larger Eclipse vehicle, which is being developed in partnership with Northrop Grumman. “Alpha should not affect our Eclipse production,” he said.

Firefly reported $30.8 million in revenue in the third quarter, an increase from $22.4 million in the same period of 2024. However, the company experienced an adjusted EBITDA loss of $46.3 million, compared to a $28 million loss a year prior.