[The livestream has ended. A replay of the webcast is available above.]
Astra Space has abandoned its first attempt at launch since the company’s IPO, with the rocket’s engines igniting for a moment and then turning off.
The missile did not take off from the ground due to the aborted launch, and Astra said it will investigate the cause of the problem. The company hopes to be able to make another start attempt on Saturday.
Astra shares fell more than 10% in after-hours trading from Friday’s close of trading at $ 11.67, before partially rebounding and falling about 6%.
A screenshot of the livestream at the start of the company shows how the LV0006 rocket engines briefly ignited before an abort caused the experiment to be postponed.
Astra
Astra launches its LV0006 rocket from the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak, Alaska. The US Space Force is the first paying customer for an Astra launch with a test payload flying on the rocket.
The vehicle is 43 feet tall and fits in the small missile segment of the introductory market. Astra’s goal is to launch as many small rockets as possible, with the goal of launching one rocket a day by 2025 and bringing the price even lower from $ 2.5 million.
The mission will test a variety of upgrades to the Astra missile since its last mission in December. While this previous mission made it into space, the rocket only briefly reached orbit.
LV0006 on the launch pad in Kodiak, Alaska.
Astra
The company’s time slot for this launch is 16 days through September 11th. A delayed missile launch attempt, known in the industry as a scrub, can occur for a variety of reasons, ranging from bad weather to technical issues.
Astra has teamed up with NASASpaceflight – a space industry content organization not affiliated with the US agency – to webcast the launch.
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