Medium Launch Vehicle (MLV)
Firefly Aerospace
Firefly's medium-lift launch vehicle in development, targeting 16,000 kg to LEO using Miranda engines co-developed with Northrop Grumman.
Key figurescomparable across the catalogue
- Payload capacity
- 16,000 kg
Normalised to common units so this product can be compared with others in its category. The supplier's own wording is below.
As published by the supplier
- Payload to LEO
- ~16,000 kg
- Engines
- Miranda (LOX / RP-1, oxidizer-rich staged combustion)
- Development partner
- Northrop Grumman
- Launch site
- Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida (planned)
- Status
- In development
About
The Medium Launch Vehicle (MLV) is Firefly Aerospace’s planned medium-lift rocket, developed in partnership with Northrop Grumman to target payload deliveries of approximately 16,000 kg to low Earth orbit. MLV uses Miranda engines — jointly developed by Firefly and Northrop Grumman — which burn liquid oxygen and RP-1 in an oxidizer-rich staged combustion cycle, targeting high specific impulse and reusability.
The vehicle is designed to bridge the gap between small launch vehicles like Alpha and the heavy-lift class, addressing customers deploying medium satellite constellations, government payloads, and large commercial communication satellites that exceed small-rocket capacity but do not require a heavy-lift vehicle.
MLV is planned for launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, complementing Alpha’s Vandenberg launch site. Northrop Grumman’s investment in the program and participation in engine development reflects its strategic interest in competing for medium-to-large government launch contracts.
As of 2026, MLV is in development and has not yet flown. The partnership aims to leverage Northrop Grumman’s heritage in large solid rocket motors and government launch integration while combining it with Firefly’s liquid propulsion and small-vehicle manufacturing expertise.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.