Firefly’s orbital launch puts it in the lead for the 1-ton rocket class
Since SpaceX’s Falcon 1 rocket was the first to reach orbit in 2008, several other businesses, including Rocket Lab and Virgin Orbit, have designed and successfully launched tiny, liquid-fueled rockets. The Falcon 1 and the other boosters could only send a few hundred kg into a low Earth orbit. However, a fresh generation of businesses…