NASA loses two weather satellites when Astra rocket launch fails to deliver them to orbit
Astra space company's rocket failed to send two NASA weather-tracking satellites to orbit after its second-stage engine went down prematurely.
Astra's Launch Vehicle 0010 (LV0010) lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1:43PM ET, but failed around 10 minutes later due to an upper-stage problem.
The launch was part of NASA's plan to deploy six TROPICS satellites into space – these little, foot-long CubeSats are designed to assist NASA track emerging tropical storms.
CubeSats are low-cost satellites that are typically manufactured by college and university researchers.
We had a nominal first stage flight. The upper stage shut down early and we did not deliver the payloads to orbit. We have shared our regrets with @NASA and the payload team. More information will be provided after we complete a full data review.
— Astra (@Astra) June 12, 2022
"The upper stage shut down early, and we were unable to transfer the payloads to orbit," Astra said on Twitter. "We have apologized to @NASA and the payload crew." In a Twitter thread, Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator for NASA's science division, recognized the failed launch but remained positive, adding that it still "provided a tremendous chance for new science and launch capabilities."
It is unknown when or if NASA intends to launch the other TROPICS satellites with Astra, or whether the two losses will be replaced. When contacted for comment, NASA sent. Update on its website, saying that Astra and the Federal Aviation Administration are looking into the event. Until NASA says it "would offer any expertise required," it "would anticipate the launch with Astra to be paused while an inquiry is undertaken."
Astra first teamed up with NASA in February to send a group of CubeSats into space, marking its first launch from Cape Canaveral. However, Astra lost its payload after the rocket appeared to spin out of control after launch. To date, Astra has only made two successful launches out of a total of seven - the company launched its first orbit last November and successfully deployed a customer satellite into orbit. religion in March. A variety of problems have affected other Astra launches, from problems with the navigation system to engine failure.
Update June 13th, 9:29AM ET: Updated to add an additional statement from NASA.