Astra Space successfully launched a rocket Thursday for the first time from the Space Coast, but the mission was a failure as the upper stage was last seen spinning in space with its ultimate fate unclear.
“We experienced an issue in today’s flight,” said Astra Space CEO and cofounder Chris Kemp. “I’m deeply sorry we were not able to deliver our customer’s payloads. I’m with the team looking at data, and we will provide more info as soon as we can.”
After launch attempts were thwarted by the Space Force’s busted radar equipment last weekend, and then a last-second scrub Monday because of a communication issue with its Rocket 3.3 spacecraft, the Alameda, California-based company saw no issues leading up to a 3 p.m. liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The plan was to deploy four satellites for NASA a little more than eight minutes after liftoff, but cameras on board ahead of the deployment showed the second stage tumbling in space.
On the company’s live stream aired by NASASpaceflight.com, sounds of cheers could be heard after the rocket successfully moved through main engine cutoff, first-stage and fairing separation three minutes into the flight.
But they turned to groans and then silence as viewers could see the blue ball of the Earth coming in and out of frame as the upper stage performed at least part of its planned burn before the cameras cut out.
Speed and altitude data on the stream showed the rocket hit a maximum velocity of nearly 9,700 mph and continued to climb in altitude even after the malfunction, moving from 85 miles altitude when the fairing separated and last seen at around 140 miles altitude and climbing when data cut off on the video.
That’s a high enough altitude to achieve orbit, but no details on its final position have been released. Objects between 99 and 310 miles are still within Earth’s thermosphere and break up as they descend to lower altitudes.
The International Space Station orbits at 254 miles altitude but travels at an orbiting speed of about 17,500 mph to maintain altitude.
Despite the mission failure, the company is still looking to join the spate of private companies that include SpaceX and United Launch Alliance to offer launch services from Florida.
“Missions like these are critical for developing new launch vehicles in this growing commercial sector,” said mission manager Hamilton Fernandez with NASA’s Launch Services Program based at Kennedy Space Center. “The Astra team demonstrated dedication to supporting NASA’s mission. The lessons learned will benefit them and the agency going forward.”
NASA said Astra will work closely with the Federal Aviation Administration to investigate.
Rocket 3.3, a version of which achieved orbit once from the company’s other launch site in Kodiak, Alaska, last November, is much smaller than SpaceX’s Falcon 9 or ULA’s Atlas and Delta rockets. The version that took off from Space Launch Complex 46 stood at only 43 feet tall compared to Falcon 9’s nearly 230 feet.
And while SpaceX’s workhorse can take up to 50,000 pounds to low-Earth orbit, the Rocket 3.3 only has a payload capacity of up to 331 pounds to sun-synchronous orbit, which is around 310 miles altitude.
That was the destination for Thursday’s mission, which carried four small satellites known as CubeSats for NASA. CubeSats are at their smallest form about the size of a loaf of bread and typically weigh from 3-18 pounds.
This mission, which was the culmination of $3.9 million awarded to the company as part of NASA’s Venture Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract was dubbed ELaNa 41, as in the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites.
The four CubeSats lost in space came from the University of Alabama (BAMA-1), New Mexico State University (INCA), the University of California at Berkeley (QubeSat) and NASA’s Johnson Space Center (R5-S1).
BAMA-1 was to test a drag sail that will allow a faster deorbit of the satellite. INCA, as in Ionospheric Neutron Content Analyzer, was geared toward improving space weather models. QubeSat was to demonstrate quantum gyroscopes to measure angular velocity. R5-S1 looked to demonstrate speed and cost efficiency in a particular design of CubeSats.
The company had looked to complete the first of what is planned to be many launches from Florida. Last week it became the first company to get Federal Aviation Administration approval for a new type of license that combines what previously required multiple licenses.
“The main purpose is to support greater innovation, lay the foundation for the FAA to keep pace with more frequent rocket launches, and it does allow for higher launch cadence and greater flexibility,” said Astra Space Director of Product Management Carolina Grossman.
