Scheduled mission
Firefly Alpha Block 2 | QuickSounder
T-minus
65days
14hrs
46min
12sec
Trajectory & orbital insertion
Ascent path is a representation — true ascent telemetry isn’t public.
Provider
Firefly Aerospace
Provider type
Commercial
Orbit
SSO
Mission type
Earth Science
Launch site
United States of America
Date
Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT
Orbital launch #
#7378 ever
Mission
QuickSounder is the first satellite mission of the Near Earth Orbit Network (NEON) program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which aims to replace the current Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) series of polar orbit weather satellites. This pathfinder mission will demonstrate NOAA's ability to launch a small satellite within 3 years, flying a refurbished Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) instrument to polar orbit.