Astra was not successful on the third attempt.
Today, the California Bay Area startup tried its third orbital test flight. It launched its two-stage Launch Vehicle 0006 from Alaska's Kodiak Island Spaceport Complex at 6:35 PM EDT (2235 GMT). The flight was canceled due to an anomaly that occurred 2.5 minutes after liftoff.
Launch Vehicle 0006 seemed to have stumbled at liftoff, and was unable to rise from the pad smoothly. The rocket recovered and flew high into Alaska's sky before it crashed. According to Astra's real-time data, the rocket reached an altitude of approximately 20.5 miles (33 km) before the flight-ending issue.
After launching on an orbital test mission, Astra's Launch Vehicle 0006 went sideways. After 2.5 minutes, the flight was stopped. (Image credit: NASASpaceflight/Astra)
The problem occurred at "max q", the time when rockets are subject to the greatest mechanical stresses. The camera mounted on Launch Vehicle 0006 showed a fragment of the booster bursting at that point.
"Although our primary objective was not achieved today, our team will continue to work hard to find out what happened here," Carolina Grossman (director of product management at Astra) said today during the launch webcast. "And as we look into the flight data we are optimistic about our future and the next attempt.
Launch Vehicle 0006, a member of Astra’s Rocket 3.3 series carried a test payload today for the U.S. Department of Defense’s Space Test Program. It was 43 feet tall (13 meters). This payload was not intended to be deployed. It was a mass simulator and not an operational satellite.
Astra attempted to launch the mission on Friday, August 27th. However Launch Vehicle 0006's guidance system ruled out that it was possible. Engineers found the issue to be a problem with the engine configuration and were able to get the booster ready for liftoff the next day.
Video: Watch Astra's Rocket3.2 take off on its first successful flight
Astra's Launch Vehicle 0006 launched on the Bay Area's third orbital testing flight on Aug. 28, 2021. The flight was stopped 2.5 minutes after liftoff. (Image credit: NASASpaceflight/Astra)
Small rockets need big plans
Astra was established in 2016 and aims to capture a large share of the small-satellite launch industry with its mass-produced, low cost, constantly-evolving rockets. The launch system of the company is highly mobile and responsive. For example, the rockets are transported to the launch location in standard shipping containers.
In many ways, the engineering behind a car is greater than that of a rocket. They can make cars for tens or thousands of dollars," Adam London, chief technology officer at Astra, said in a Q&A posted online by the company Friday.
London stated that rockets are not affordable today. "Astra was created to find a way to bridge that gap. How can you make lots rockets so people have faster and easier access to space for great and interesting projects?"
Astra had previously launched two orbital test flights, but neither one carried a payload. Rocket 3.1, the company's rocket, suffered a guidance problem shortly after launch. It crashed back to Earth in September 2020. Rocket 3.2 was launched successfully in December 2020, but ran out fuel shortly before reaching orbital velocity.
Rocket 3.3 was upgraded by the company. London stated that Astra addressed the fuel consumption issue and improved the performance of its upper stage during Friday's failed launch attempt. He also said that the new variant is 5 feet (11.5 m) taller then Rocket 3.1 or Rocket 3.2.
Based on the information that Launch Vehicle 0006 has gleaned from today's investigation, additional tweaks could be made to Launch Vehicle 0006's successors.
If all goes according to plan, Astra will be making many trips to the launchpad in the months and years ahead. Today's launch was one of two scheduled by the U.S. Space Force; the second was to take off later in the year. However, that timeline may change a little.
Astra also holds other contracts: Astra has signed agreements for over 50 launches, which together generate more than $150m in revenue. Chris Kemp, Astra CEO and co-founder, told Space.com last month.
There are also agreements to lift Earth-observing satellites next year for Planet, a San Francisco-based company. NASA will also launch the TROPICS mission (which stands for Time-Resolved Oscillations of Precipitation Structure & Storm Intensity with Constellation of Smallsats). TROPICS will study how hurricanes form and evolve using six cubesats. Astra will launch the mission from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, in the central Pacific, over three missions.
The company also plans to increase its launch frequency to an unprecedented level over the long-term, potentially changing humanity's access space.
London stated in the Q&A that "our next objective is monthly", then weekly and finally daily delivery of space."
He said, "It's quite nuts." He said, "But if a satellite is in orbit and it crashes, you must quickly put another one there. You don't want to wait six months to launch a constellation with thousands of satellites. Instead of waiting five years, launch a few satellites almost every day to exactly where they are needed. This will allow you to deploy a constellation in as little as a year.
Astra, which was publicly traded this summer, is also working on its own satellite bus. These spacecraft will be powered by electric-propulsion engines made by Apollo Fusion, which Astra purchased earlier this year.
