Firefly Aerospace Cancels Alpha Flight 7 Launch Due to High Winds at Vandenberg Space Force Base
Firefly Aerospace canceled the launch of the Alpha Flight 7 rocket on February 1, 2026, due to high atmospheric winds exceeding FAA safety limits. The mission, known as 'Stairway to Seven', aimed to test the rocket after a 10-month hiatus. A new launch date has not been announced. The Alpha, measuring 29.6 meters in height, would have marked its seventh flight, focusing on achieving nominal performance of its stages.

Firefly Aerospace's launch of the Alpha Flight 7 was canceled on February 1, 2026, at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California due to high winds above FAA safety limits. The decision was confirmed at 00:15 Brasília time.
The mission, 'Stairway to Seven', aimed to test the rocket after a 10-month hiatus. The two-stage Alpha rocket, 29.6 meters tall, would have conducted its seventh flight, focusing on nominal performance of its stages, without carrying operational payloads.
Following the sixth flight failure, the FAA had authorized Alpha's return to flight in August 2025, but a subsequent test explosion caused further delays. Flight 7 is the last for the Block I configuration; Block II is planned for Flight 8.




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