Successful Hot Fire Test Proves Design in Early Milestone for Next-Gen Rocket

Firefly Aerospace finished the first hot fire test for its Miranda engine, a design bound for the 1st stage of Northrop Grumman’s Antares 330 and Medium Launch Vehicle (MLV).

Firefly was proud to note that the milestone came within a year of signing the first deal to co-develop the engine with Grumman. They said that the next test will see them design a "full-duration, 206-second Miranda hot fire" before achieving qualification. Once finished, 7 discrete Miranda engines will be installed in the first Antares stages to the tune of the better part of a quarter-million pound-feet of thrust.

“The incredible progress on our Miranda engines – designed, built, and tested in house in just over a year – is another example of Firefly setting a new standard in the industry,” said Bill Weber, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. “Building on the legacy of Firefly’s rapidly developed Reaver and Lightning engines, Miranda is the fastest propulsion system we’ve built and tested to date. This achievement reflects our rapid, iterative culture and our vertically integrated approach that allows us to quickly scale up the flight-proven engine architecture from our small launch vehicle, Alpha, to our Medium Launch Vehicle.”

FMI: www.fireflyspace.com