On Sunday night at 12:35 am Central European Time, Astra started its third orbital test flight from the Pacific Spaceport Complex on Kodiak Island in Alaska. The two-stage launch vehicle 0006 from the Rocket 3.3 model series was used. The rocket, which is only 13 meters high, was equipped with a test payload for the space test program of the US Department of Defense. This payload had the shape and weight of a conventional satellite, but was not intended for deployment in orbit.
Astra satisfied despite false start
The start turned out to be unsuccessful in the end, but it was particularly spectacular. Because the rocket tilted slightly immediately after the start of the engines, but then caught itself again and initially moved sideways for about 15 seconds before it rose.
After 2.5 minutes the star was The attempt at “Max Q” ended. This is the point at which the mechanical stress on a missile is highest. A camera attached to the rocket showed that at this point, at an altitude of around 50 kilometers, part of the booster had come loose.
Astra is still not dissatisfied. Despite the failure, it was possible to collect a lot of data and got out of the experiment without significant damage to property, as Astra boss Chris Kemp confirmed in a press release after the failed attempt.
First analyzes showed that ss one of the five engines of the rocket’s first stage failed about a second after takeoff for unclear reasons, the co-founder of the Spacetech startup said in a tweet.
Data should show where the problem was
The rocket was then brought into the air by the remaining four engines alone. To do this, however, it first had to use some fuel in order to be light enough not to need the fifth engine any more. After 2 minutes and 28 seconds, the order to switch off all engines came from the launch pad, according to Kemp. Now it must be determined where and when exactly which problems have occurred before a new start date can be scheduled.
The start had already been postponed from last Friday to Sunday night because the control system the launcher had reported an abort shortly after the engine was ignited. The problem soon turned out to be a configuration error of the engine, so that nothing seemed to stand in the way of a quick alternative date.
This is Astra
The company Astra, founded in 2016, wants to use its mass-produced, cost-effective and continuously developed n Missiles capture a large share of the growing market for small satellite launches. The company’s launch system is designed to be extremely mobile and flexible. For example, the rockets are transported to the launch site in standard containers.
Astra has already made two test flights without a payload in Earth orbit. In September 2020, the company’s 3.1 rocket had a steering problem shortly after launch and crashed back to Earth. Rocket 3.2 successfully entered space in December of the same year, but ran out of fuel just before it reached orbital velocity. With the new launch vehicle variant 3.3, Astra wants to have solved the problem of fuel consumption and improved the performance of the upper stage. The new model is one and a half meters higher than its predecessor.
The company’s goals are ambitious. Due to the extremely low prices and the high modularity of its rockets, Astra ultimately wants to get into the situation of carrying out daily satellite launches. London sees huge potential in this. “If you have a satellite in orbit and it fails, you have to quickly bring another one back there,” he says, adding: “If you want to launch a constellation of thousands of satellites, you don’t want to wait six months between launches . Our idea is to bring a few satellites to exactly where they are needed almost every day so that a constellation can be set up in one or two years instead of five years. “
Astra’s order books are well filled. The company has signed contracts for more than 50 launches, which together add up to more than $ 150 million in revenue, Kemp told space magazine Space last month.
Since July 1, 2021 Astra Space Inc. is the first space company to be listed on New York’s Nasdaq. The IPO took place through the takeover of the already listed SPAC Holicity Inc.
