Firefly Aerospace, Inc. has secured AS9100 quality certification as the firm advances from developmental to production phase ahead of the inaugural flight of their Alpha launch vehicle later this year.
Firefly has passed all quality audit requirements and received its AS9100 certification, the widely adopted and standardized benchmark designed to ensure quality management practices across the aerospace industry. Additionally, Firefly requires all suppliers to be AS9100 certified, which has bolstered its quality assurance program as qualification tests this spring lead to full production capabilities.
Firefly will leverage its AS9100-certified quality assurance program in support of a broad range of spacecraft, including its Alpha launch vehicle, Beta launch vehicle, Genesis lunar lander, and Orbital Transfer Vehicle. The Alpha launch vehicle will meet the demands of the burgeoning smallsat market by combining the highest payload performance, 1 metric ton to LEO and 630 kilograms to 500 kilometers SSO, with the lowest cost per kilogram to orbit in its vehicle class. Alpha will provide launch options for both full vehicle and rideshare missions.
Dr. Tom Markusic
Dr. Tom Markusic, Firefly CEO, said the company's AS9100 certification marks a key milestone in the maturation of Firefly as the firm moves from development into the production phase of the Alpha launch vehicle. Firefly is well positioned to take on new contracts and development opportunities — Firefly blends heritage-space principles used to achieve high reliability with New Space nimbleness and flexibility, allowing us to rapidly develop economical and high-quality products.
Paul Garland, Firefly’s Director of Quality Assurance, who has nearly 35 years of experience driving quality operations for leading aerospace companies, noted that this important AS9100 certification formalizes the strict focus on quality that Firefly has always demanded of itself and its suppliers and partners. Firefly’s certified quality processes provide further assurance to commercial and government customers that the firm will successfully execute all critical space missions.
Firefly Aerospace's Alpha smallsat launch vehicle.
Image is courtesy of the company.