NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Status

Success

VICTUS NOX (TacRS-3)

Launch Time
Fri Sep 15, 2023 02:28 UTC

Rocket

Alpha
Image Credit: Firefly Aerospace
Firefly
Status: Active
Price: $15.0 million
Liftoff Thrust: 801 kN
Payload to LEO: 1,030 kg
Stages: 2
Strap-ons: 0
Rocket Height: 29.48 m
Fairing Diameter: 2.2 m
Fairing Height: 5.0 m

Mission Details

VICTUS NOX

VICTUS NOX is a payload for the US Space Force's Space Systems Command. It will perform a Space Domain Awareness (SDA) mission in LEO. VICTUS NOX is a mission meant to demonstrate the United States' ability to rapidly place a satellite in orbit if the need arises. To that end, the payload was delivered to Firefly, encapsulated, and readied for launch. The US Space Force would then give the go-ahead for Firefly to launch sometime in 2023, at which point Firefly had just 24 hours to send the payload to orbit. When the US Space Force gave their go-ahead, Firefly successfully launched the satellite within their Firefly Alpha launcher within the specified 24-hour period.

Low Earth Orbit

Location

SLC-2W, Vandenberg SFB, California, USA

Stats

2023

149th orbital launch attempt

Alpha

3rd mission
1st mission of 2023
1st successful mission
1st consecutive successful mission