112K views · 234 reactions | The Space Force detonated Firefly’s Alpha uncrewed rocket mid-flight on Thursday during the company's first-ever launch. The rocket was attempting to reach orbit, but suffered an issue a few minutes into its flight and began to tip horizontally. The Space Launch Delta 30 then stepped in to terminate the vehicle over the Pacific Ocean to prevent it from becoming a public hazard. | cheddar news | Facebook

Reliable rocket engine ignition involves precise orchestration of mechanical and fluid systems. Firefly engines go from idle to producing hundreds of thousands of horsepower in a fraction of a second. If anything is out of sequence, the results can be catastrophic. Firefly’s Lightning engine carries small canisters (one for each start) of igniter fluid called TEA-TEB which are used to ignite the liquid oxygen and RP-1 propellants in the thrust chamber. As fuel pressure rises at startup, the fuel