WASHINGTON – Astra launched its Rocket 3.1 vehicle at the end of September 11, but the flight ended during the first phase burn of a small launch vehicle.
According to a series of tweets from a company that does not provide live video of the launch attempt, the rocket took off from the Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska on the nearby Kodak Island in the east at about 11:20 a.m. Sept. 10 due to Centers issue. The lift was off after a previous attempt.
The company later tweeted that the rocket had successfully taken off, but “ended during the first stage burn of the flight.” The company did not immediately provide additional details about how long the flight ends after it started, or why the flight was canceled. “Looks like we’ve had a good flight time.”
Rocket 1.1 is the first in a series of three demonstration launches by Astra to show that the vehicle can reach orbit. In a briefing with reporters in late July, company officials said their goal for the inauguration was to pass through the first stage burn and then isolate the upper stage, about a minute after the lift off. The company did not expect the rocket to reach orbit, and the vehicle was not carrying a payload.
“We have no intention of making a hole here,” said Chris Kemp, Astra’s chief executive and co-founder, in July. “We intend to accomplish enough to ensure we are able to get into orbit after three flights, and for us that means burning the negligible first phase and successfully separating the upper phase.”
At the time the camp spoke, Astra planned to make an unveiling during a six-day window from Kodak in early August Gust. However, the combination of weak weather, technical problems and a series of violations has kept the rocket grounded. The company initially rescheduled the window to open in late August Gust, then moved to open the September 10 window due to the weather.
Rocket 1.1 is a rocket vehicle. The vehicle is an updated version of the vehicle that the company has tried to develop and launch during the DARPA Launch Challenge Responsive launch competition. The company scrubbed the launch attempt less than a minute before the final day of the March 2 competition. The Astra was preparing for a second launch in late March, but the vehicle was destroyed when the valve failed after a wet dress rehearsal.
In a July briefing, co-founder and chief technology officer, Adam Lunden, said the next vehicle is largely complete, but still needs to go through testing, as well as any changes needed to take into account the launch issues. “At least it will be a few months,” he said when asked how soon the vehicle could be ready for launch.
