Firefly Alpha rocket booster destroyed in testing mishap

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Firefly Aerospace on Monday said the core booster for its centerpiece Alpha rocket was destroyed during a ground test in Texas, weeks before that rocket was due for a long-awaited return to flight mission.

Firefly in a statement said all personnel were safe as the company assesses the testing failure's impact on its booster test stand in Briggs, Texas, an area some 50 miles (80.5 km) north of Austin that is home to Firefly's "Rocket Ranch" testing facilities.

"During testing at Firefly's facility in Briggs, Texas, the first stage of Firefly's Alpha Flight 7 rocket experienced an event that resulted in a loss of the stage. Proper safety protocols were followed, and all personnel are safe," the company said in a statement.

The mishap adds another interruption to Firefly's burgeoning launch business, coming weeks after it closed an investigation into a failure on Alpha's last flight in April.

With the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration signing off on that probe, Firefly had been aiming to launch its next mission in the "coming weeks," CEO Jason Kim said on a September 22 earnings call, the company's first since going public last month.

(Reporting by Joey Roulette; Editing by Chris Reese and Bill Berkrot)

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