Astra Rocket 3.3 Launch Fails - SpaceNews
upstart writes:
Astra Rocket 3.3 launch fails - SpaceNews:
WASHINGTON - Astra's third attempt to reach orbit failed Aug. 28 when its Rocket 3.3 vehicle struggled to get off the launch pad and eventually failed in flight.
The small launch vehicle, designated LV0006 by Astra, ignited its five first-stage engines at about 6:35 p.m. Eastern from Pacific Spaceport Complex - Alaska on Kodiak Island. Various issues, including taking additional time to load propellant and update software configurations, delayed the launch from the opening of the window at 4 p.m. Eastern.
The rocket, instead of immediately ascending vertically, tipped and moved sideways, hovering just about the ground. It took nearly 20 seconds for the sideways motion to stop, at which point the rocket started to ascend.
The rocket continued going up until about two and a half minutes after liftoff, near the end of the first-stage burn. Onboard video broadcast on the launch webcast showed the engines shutting down and the vehicle tumbling, with a call to "terminate" heard on the launch audio.
The company did not immediately provide additional information about the cause of the failure. "Today, after a successful launch and liftoff, Astra's launch vehicle experienced an anomaly in flight," Chris Kemp, co-founder and chief executive of Astra, said in a brief message at the end of the launch webcast.
"While we regret we were unable to accomplish all mission objectives for the Space Force, our team captured a tremendous amount of data from the flight," he added, stating that the company would work with the Federal Aviation Administration, which licensed this launch, to investigate the failure.
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