To the Black: A Documentary of Perseverance in Aerospace
By Jeff Foust
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Directed by Scott Edwards
Runtime: 94 minutes
Firefly Aerospace, known predominantly as a lunar lander developer, recently achieved a significant milestone by going public. They’ve successfully completed one mission, with another set to launch early next year alongside several others in development. However, their origins in launch capabilities tell a different story. Despite claims of record-high demand for launches, Firefly has conducted only one launch of its Alpha rocket this year—a return-to-flight mission after a previous failure.
The documentary To the Black takes viewers behind the scenes of the Alpha rocket’s development during Firefly’s early years. Central to the film is Tom Markusic, the company’s co-founder and former CEO, whose journey through technical and financial struggles is vividly captured. The filmmakers gained in-depth access to Firefly’s operations, showcasing the roller coaster of funding setbacks and operational challenges.
A notable point in the narrative is the withdrawal of key investors, nearly leading to the company’s end before Max Polyakov, a Ukrainian entrepreneur, reassembled Firefly as Firefly Aerospace. The film details the arduous journey toward the Alpha’s inaugural flight, which was marred by a catastrophic failure—an engine malfunction that resulted in an explosion.
Notably, the documentary features compelling footage of the engine failure and Markusic’s reaction during the launch, presenting an intimate portrayal of the event. Following this, Alpha ultimately succeeded in reaching orbit on its second attempt, albeit with substantial changes in company leadership and ownership dynamics that shifted the internal landscape.
To the Black serves as a detailed account of not just the technical hurdles in rocket development but also the harsh realities of sustaining a business in the competitive aerospace industry. It highlights the ongoing challenges ahead for the company as they aim to replicate their success again and again.
For those interested, To the Black is currently streaming on platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
About the Author:
Jeff Foust is the editor and publisher of The Space Review and a senior staff writer with SpaceNews. He also operates the Spacetoday.net website. Views expressed are his own.
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