NASA weather satellites were lost as result of unsuccessful Astra’s Launch

NASA weather satellites were lost as result of unsuccessful Astra’s Launch

Web Desk
June 14, 2022

NASA weather satellites were lost as result of unsuccessful Astra’s Launch

A rocket belonging to the up-and-coming Astra space business failed to transport two of NASA’s weather-tracking satellites.
The failure resulted in the loss of both satellites.
CubeSats are small, low-cost satellites that are typically developed by college and university researchers.

At 1:43 p.m. ET, Astra’s Launch Vehicle 0010 (LV0010) lifted off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, but the upper stage failed approximately 10 minutes later.

The first stage flight went off without a hitch. We were unable to send the packages to orbit because the upper stage shut down early. We’ve informed @NASA and the payload crew of our regrets. We’ll share further details when we’ve completed a thorough analysis of the data.

As Astra said in a statement on Twitter, “The upper stage shut down early and we did not deliver the payloads to orbit,” added, “We have shared our regrets with @NASA and the payload team.”

Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator for NASA’s science division, acknowledged the unsuccessful launch in a thread on Twitter, but remained optimistic, noting it still “offered a great opportunity for new science and launch capabilities.”

It’s unknown whether or not NASA expects to launch the remaining TROPICS satellites with Astra, or whether the two that were lost will be replaced. When contacted for comment, NASA directed The Verge to an update on its website, stating that the event is being investigated by Astra and the Federal Aviation Administration. NASA says it “will lend any expertise needed,” it “would expect to pause the launch with Astra while an investigation is being conducted.”

In February, Astra teamed with NASA to launch a series of CubeSats into orbit, marking the company’s first launch from Cape Canaveral. Astra, on the other hand, lost the cargo as the rocket spun out of control after takeoff.

Astra has only had two successful orbital launches out of seven attempts so far — the business first reached orbit in November and successfully placed a customer’s satellites into orbit in March. Astra’s past launches have been hampered by a variety of challenges, ranging from guidance system failures to engine failure.