Astra Space Inc has reportedly scrubbed its latest attempt to liftoff its first working satellite launch, a NASA mission, owing to a technical glitch that occurred moments before the launch.
The countdown was stopped at T-minus zero, just before Rocket 3.3, the company’s kerosene-fueled, two-stage Launch Vehicle 0008, was due to liftoff from Launch Complex 46 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
During the live stream of the event, Carolina Grossman, the Director of Product of Astra, stated that the launch team decided to abort the flight for the day and attempt again at some unspecified time in the future.
There is no clarity on the availability of the next launch window for the NASA mission. Both NASA and Astra stated that the launch was scrubbed due to a minor issue with the telemetric that needed further assessment.
The canceled ELaNa (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) 41 mission is developed to carry four CubeSats, or mini research satellites, into orbit for NASA. Three of the satellites are developed by public universities and one by the Johnson Space Flight Center of NASA based in Houston.
Under the ELaNa program, over 100 CubeSats have been launched in Space since its inception in 2010 under the Launch Services Program of NASA that offered a contract to Astra for this mission.
Astra, the Alameda, California-headquartered company, is one of a growing array of new companies developing small-payload launch systems to build on the substantial growth in compact satellites requiring a ride to orbit.
Some of the front-runners in the commercial space segment include Max Polyakov-owned Firefly Aerospace, Rocket Lab, and Virgin Orbit, the space company owned by British billionaire Richard Branson.
The boom is partially fueled by technology advances and venture cash that have reduced the size and enhanced the abilities of satellites used for applications ranging from climate studies, national security to communications.
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