A rocket startup’s big Florida launch debut ended with all four mini satellites destroyed Thursday.
Alameda, California based Astra sent its rocket soaring from Cape Canaveral after multiple delays, including a last-second engine shutdown Monday. The 43-foot (13-meter) rocket arced through a clear afternoon sky out over the Atlantic, carrying small research satellites sponsored by NASA.
But shortly after the first-stage booster dropped away, onboard cameras showed the second stage igniting and appearing to tumble. The upper stage of the company’s Rocket 3.3 and its four small satellites on board that were being flown as part of a NASA demonstration mission all tumbled into the ocean.
The launch from Space Launch Complex 46 was a first for the company, which had only previously reached orbit once during a flight last November from its Kodiak, Alaska, spaceport. After multiple delays on attempts, the rocket was able to launch on schedule and everything looked good until about three minutes into flight.
That’s when the first stage separated as planned, but when the fairing separated, video showed the second stage tumbling in space. At the time it was climbing at nearly 9,700 mph continuing its upward trajectory from 85 miles altitude to 140 miles altitude, according to data displayed on the company’s live stream.
Company CEO and cofounder Chris Kemp echoed apologies to the four teams from the University of Alabama, New Mexico State University, University of California at Berkeley and NASA’s Johnson Space Center that were hoping Astra Space could get their CubeSats into orbit.
“I’m with the team looking at data, and we will provide more info as soon as we can,” Kemp said on Twitter.
NASA’s Launch Services Program based out of Kennedy Space Center organized the marriage of the payloads with the rocket company as part of NASA’s Venture Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract.