Science
Astra's first attempt to enter orbit stops early after the missile fails mid-flight.
The first space launch mission of Astra ended without the Rocket 3.1 reaching orbit. The rocket was successfully lifted from the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Alaska at approximately 11:19PM ET Friday, but the company reported that its guidance system introduced some minor oscillation into the flight which caused the rocket to drift out of its expected trajectory. The protection mechanism shut down the engines, and the rocket dropped down to the ground. It's not carrying any payloads.
The spectator captured a video blast, revealing the rocket's trajectory. In the video, the rocket engine turns off mid-flight, and a few minutes later, you can see the flames as the rocket reaches the ground.
Rocket is vertical and propellant is loading! pic.twitter.com/VxBN91clza
— Astra (@Astra) September 12, 2020
The company's specified goal for this flight was to have a negligible first stage burn, which evidently did not happen after the engine shutdown occurred. But with this launch, Astra didn't intend to enter orbit. And it says its early results shows that the rocket was doing very well.
We didn't achieve any of our goals, but we obtained useful experience and much more important flight data, the company said in a blog post on Saturday. This mission puts us well on our way to orbit in two additional flights, so we're pleased with the outcome.
Rocket is vertical and propellant is loading! pic.twitter.com/VxBN91clza
— Astra (@Astra) September 12, 2020
Astra is a very tiny team — small enough to state that it doesn't have a video production department to broadcast its launches — and claims that the launch system has been built by six individuals in less than a week. Astra says its Rocket 3.2 is stable and plans to be tested again in the next few months.
