Kodiak, AK – Last night at 2319 EDT (0319 UTC 12th Sept.), Rocket 3.1 lifted off from Pacific Spaceport Complex, Kodiak Island, Alaska. This was Astra’s first attempt in launching a rocket into orbit.
The Flight
Astra has had a few scrubs already since August, either due to technical concerns or weather. This was the first time Rocket 3.1 left the ground. For a short period the rocket was nominal for it’s first stage. Then the engines shut down. The occurrence happened when the guidance system had some slight oscillation into the flight. Which had caused the rocket to deter from it’s projected trajectory. It then lead to a commanded shutdown of the engines by the flight safety system.
Unfortunately, Astra did not meet all their objectives on this flight. However, they did learn a lot from the data recorded and gained some experience. They expect it to take at least 3 flights before reaching orbit.
— Jennifer Culton (@CultonJennifer) September 12, 2020
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX had some kind words of encouragement for Astra’s attempt. And he’s no stranger to failed attempts as SpaceX has come far from their own failures.
Sorry to hear that. I’m sure you’ll figure it out though. Took us four launches to reach orbit. Rockets are hard.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 12, 2020
We expect to see a lot more come from Astra in the future and are eager to see them take flight and soar into the space industry.
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