Astra Space, Inc. (“Astra”) (Nasdaq: ASTR) conducted a test launch of its
launch vehicle, LV0006.
The launch vehicle lifted off at 3:35P M PT on Saturday, August 28, 2021.
One of the five main engines shut down less than one second after liftoff,
causing the vehicle to slowly lift off the pad before resuming its
trajectory. After approximately two minutes and thirty seconds of flight,
the range issued an all engine-shutdown command, ending the flight. The
vehicle achieved an altitude of approximately 50 kilometers, before safely
returning to Earth.
“We regret that we were unable to accomplish all mission objectives for the
U.S. Space Force; however, we captured a tremendous amount of data from this
test flight,” said Chris Kemp, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Astra. “We will
incorporate learnings from this test into future launch vehicles, including
LV0007, which is currently in production.”
Astra has opened a mishap investigation and is working closely with the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
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Space & Astrophysics