Astra manufactured and operated its Rocket family of launch vehicles for both commercial and military customers for launching satellites into orbit.

Astra's first two rockets, Rocket 1 and Rocket 2, were suborbital test vehicles without payloads. Although their only launches were reported to be failures,[1][2] Astra reported they were successful. Astra reached space (Karman line) for the first time on their second Rocket 3 launch (third if one counts in a previous rocket destroyed by fire on the launch pad), but the upper stage did not enter into orbit due to a wrong fuel and oxidizer mixture ratio. The company concluded that this met their goal for the mission and on their next flight they would fly a commercial payload.[3] Astra's next flight on 28 August 2021 with their fourth Rocket 3 vehicle, Rocket 3.3 (LV0006) carrying a payload for the United States Space Force, failed to reach space after one of the engines failed 1 second after liftoff, but it did reach an altitude of 31 miles (50 kilometers).

On 20 November 2021 at 06:16:00, Astra Space launched its first successful mission to orbit. Rocket 3.3 (LV0007), carrying a demonstration payload from the US Department of Defense was launched from PSCA.[4]

As of June 2022, there have been two successful launches (both orbital) out of a total of nine attempts (of which two were suborbital). In addition, a launch vehicle was destroyed during a pre-launch countdown dress rehearsal on 23 March 2020.

On 4 August 2022 during a quarterly briefing, Astra announced that after a string of failures leading to payload loss, Rocket 3.3 will be retired, and it will be replaced by the future Rocket 4.0 Launch Vehicle.[5]

Future rocket variants currently in development include Rocket 4.0 (an upgraded version of Rocket 3) and Rocket 5.0 (a suborbital point-to-point delivery variant of Rocket 3.0).[6][7]

Launch history

0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
  •   Failure
  •   Loss before launch
  •   Partial Failure
  •   Success
  •   Planned
Flight Date / time (UTC) Rocket Launch site Payload Payload mass Orbit Customer Outcome[Note 1]
1 20 July 2018[1] Rocket 1 PSCA, Pad 2[8] Mass Simulator Un­known Suborbital Test Flight Failure (Astra declared success)[9]
P120 mission for a commercial customer.[10] The FAA reported an unknown mishap occurred during the launch;[1] Astra later noted the launch was successful.[9]
2 29 November 2018 [2] Rocket 2 PSCA, Pad 2[11] Mass Simulator Un­known Suborbital Test Flight Failure (Astra declared success)[9]
Launch for a commercial customer.[12] Flight ended earlier than planned, likely due to engine failure.[2][9] Rather than including an active second stage, this launch carried an "upper stage mass simulator".[2]
N/A 23 March 2020 Rocket 3.0 PSCA, Pad 3B[13] N/A N/A LEO DARPA Launch Challenge Precluded
"1 of 3". Initially intended to be part of the DARPA Launch Challenge, but failed to launch within the challenge's launch window due to an issue with a sensor for the guidance, navigation, and control systems.[14][15] The rocket was reused for the next launch without DARPA involvement, but on 23 March 2020, a fire occurred on the launch pad prior to launch, destroying the rocket.[16]
3 12 September 2020
03:19[17]		 Rocket 3.1 PSCA, Pad 3B None [18] N/A LEO None Failure
Formerly "2 of 3". Second attempt to launch a Rocket 3 for the first time. Initially intended to be the second of two launches for the DARPA Launch Challenge.[19] 30 seconds after lift off engines were shut down by the range safety officer.[17]
4 15 December 2020
20:55[20]		 Rocket 3.2[19] PSCA, Pad 3B None [21] N/A LEO None Failure [22]
Formerly "3 of 3". First Astra rocket to pass the Kármán Line and reach its target orbital altitude of 390 kilometers. Narrowly failed to reach stable orbit due to issues with the upper stage propellant mixture ratio,[23][24] but exceeded the company's expectations with an otherwise-successful climb into near-orbital space from Kodiak Island, Alaska.[25]
5 28 August 2021
22:35 [26]		 Rocket 3.0 / LV0006 [27][28] PSCA, Pad 3B STP-27AD1 LEO U.S. Space Force Failure
First commercial Rocket 3 launch, and first of two demonstration launches for the U.S. Space Force.[29] An engine failure shortly after liftoff caused the rocket to drift sideways off the launch pad before ascending vertically. At approximately T+02:28, range safety ordered engine shutdown, terminating the flight.[30][31] A fueling system propellant leak was determined to be the root cause of the problem.[32]
6 20 November 2021
06:16 [33]		 LV0007[34] PSCA, Pad 3B STP-27AD2 LEO U.S. Space Force Success
Second demonstration launch for the U.S. Space Force. This was Astra's first undisputed success.[29]
7 10 February 2022
20:00[35]		 LV0008 CC, SLC-46 BAMA-1, INCA, QubeSat, R5-S1 LEO NASA Failure
NASA Venture Class Launch Services 2 (VCLS 2) Mission One, officially known as VCLS Demo-2A.[36] The ELaNa 41 mission, consisting of four CubeSats, was launched on this flight.[37][38] An issue occurred after stage separation during flight which prevented delivery of the payloads into orbit.[39] The failure was later found to have been caused by a wiring error in the separation mechanism and a software flaw in the thrust vector system.[40]
8 15 March 2022
16:22[41]		 LV0009 PSCA, Pad 3B S4 Crossover (EyeStar-S4), OreSat0, 16 × SpaceBEE,[42] 4 × SpaceBEE NZ[43] SSO NearSpace Launch, Portland State University Success
Astra-1 rideshare mission for Spaceflight, Inc.; all payloads deployed successfully.[41] S4 Crossover, carrying EyeStar-S4, remained attached to the second stage as intended.[44][45]
9 12 June 2022
17:43[46]		 LV0010 CC, SLC-46 TROPICS × 2 19 kg (42 lb)[47] LEO NASA Failure
First of three planned launches for the TROPICS constellation.[48] Both satellites were lost as the rocket failed to reach orbit. The constellation was intended to consist of six satellites in total.[49] The remaining satellites were launched by Rocket Lab's Electron in May 2023.
NET 2024[49] TBA LEO NASA Planned
Contract with NASA to launch scientific payloads on Rocket 4.0, replacing the previous launch services contract for the TROPICS constellation.
NET 2024[5][50] Lemur-2 × ? LEO Spire Global Planned
Contract with Spire Global for an unknown number of launches and satellites.
NET 2024[5][51] Flock-4 × ? LEO Planet Labs Planned
Multi-launch contract with Planet Labs.
NET 2024[5][51] Flock-4 × ? LEO Planet Labs Planned
Multi-launch contract with Planet Labs.
2024–2025[5][52] TBA TBA LEO Spaceflight Industries Planned
Multi-launch contract with Spaceflight Inc.
April 2025[53] TBA STP-S29B LEO U.S. Space Force Scheduled
Category 2 Mission Assurance launch for the U.S. Space Force.

Notes

  1. ↑ For consistency, the outcome of the flight is measured by whether the rocket achieves a stable orbit. The company may have particular objectives for test flights that are more or less strenuous than reaching orbit.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Foust, Jeff (27 July 2018). "Alaska launch shrouded in secrecy". SpaceNews. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Foust, Jeff (6 December 2018). "Astra Space suborbital launch fails". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  3. ↑ "Astra reaches space for the first time with Rocket 3.2 launch". Space Explored. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  4. ↑ "Astra stock surges after the rocket builder reaches orbit successfully". CNBC. 22 November 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Astra announces second quarter 2022 financial results". Astra (Press release). 4 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  6. ↑ Burghardt, Thomas (12 June 2021). "Astra CEO Chris Kemp previews Rocket 4.0, daily launches, and a smarter planet". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  7. ↑ Berger, Eric (1 October 2020). "Astra pitches larger rocket, suborbital cargo-delivery plan to Air Force". Ars Technica. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  8. ↑ "Commercial Space Transportation License No LLS 18-112". FAA. Retrieved 3 April 2018. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Astra scrubs DARPA launch challenge attempt". NASASpaceFlight.com. 2 March 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  10. ↑ Alaska Aerospace. "PSCA Mission History".
  11. ↑ "Commercial Space Transportation License; License Number LLS 18-144". FAA. Retrieved 17 October 2018. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  12. ↑ Alaska Aerospace. "2018 AAC Annual Report". Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  13. ↑ Twitter-News Archived 1 March 2020 at the Wayback Machine from Todd Master, 1 März 2020
  14. ↑ Clark, Stephen (21 March 2020). "Astra readies for possible launch attempt next week". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  15. ↑ Foust, Jeff (2 March 2020). "DARPA Launch Challenge ends without winner". SpaceNews. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  16. ↑ Sheetz, Michael (5 April 2020). "Rocket startup Astra trims staff to survive pandemic until next year". CNBC. Archived from the original on 26 May 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  17. 1 2 Clark, Stephen (14 September 2020). "Software fix could position Astra for another launch attempt by end of year". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  18. ↑ Clark, Stephen (1 August 2020). "Astra readies small satellite launcher for test flight from Alaska". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  19. 1 2 Sheetz, Michael (16 June 2020). "Rocket startup Astra trying for an orbital launch again in July 2020, renewing fundraising efforts". CNBC. Archived from the original on 17 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  20. ↑ Lapidus, Sarah. "Astra to try again today after weather delayed rocket launch attempt". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  21. ↑ "Rocket 3.2 Ready To Launch!". astra.com. 11 December 2020. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  22. ↑ Berger, Eric. "Just finished a call with @Astra. Rocket was 0.5 m/s (1.6 ft/s) short of orbit. With a better fuel mixture in the upper stage it would have orbited. Apogee of 390 km (240 mi). Rocket 3.3 will carry a payload, and there will be no hardware or software changes". twitter.com. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  23. ↑ Sheetz, Michael (15 December 2020). "Rocket startup Astra reaches space for the first time with second launch attempt from Alaska". CNBC. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  24. ↑ Etherington, Darrell (15 December 2020). "Launch startup Astra's rocket reaches space". TechCrunch. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  25. ↑ Clark, Stephen (16 December 2020). "Astra's smallsat launcher reaches space on second test flight". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  26. ↑ "Astra Announces Multi-Launch Contract And First Launch With Department Of Defense". Astra. 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  27. ↑ Foust, Jeff (1 March 2021). "Astra's 100-year plan: Q&A with CEO Chris Kemp". SpaceNews. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  28. ↑ "On The Ground: Launch Vehicle 0006 Static Test". Astra. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  29. 1 2 Foust, Jeff (5 August 2021). "Astra to make next orbital launch attempt in late August for the Space Force". SpaceNews. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  30. ↑ Astra [@Astra] (28 August 2021). "We suffered technical difficulties, but achieved 2.5 minutes of flight data. Every launch, whether successful or not, is an opportunity for us to learn. Our team will study the data and use this information to iterate on our next launch" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  31. ↑ @jeff_foust (29 August 2021). "Just got off a brief call with Astra. One of the five first stage engines failed less than one second into flight. Range triggered the engine shutdown at T+2.5 minutes because the launch vehicle was outside its normal flight trajectory" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  32. ↑ Berger, Eric (12 October 2021). "Astra explains previous failure, sets October date for next launch attempt". Ars Technica. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  33. ↑ Burghardt, Thomas (20 November 2021). "Astra successfully makes orbit on fourth attempt". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  34. ↑ Foust, Jeff (13 August 2021). "Astra to fly upgraded rocket on next launch". SpaceNews. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  35. ↑ Beil, Adrian (10 February 2022). "Astra suffers failure on ELaNa 41 mission". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  36. ↑ Higginbotham, Scott (9 August 2021). "CubeSat Launch Initiative – Upcoming Flights" (PDF). NASA. p. 3. Retrieved 22 September 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  37. ↑ "Upcoming ELaNa CubeSat Launches". NASA. 16 November 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  38. ↑ Foust, Jeff (12 December 2020). "Three companies win NASA small launch contracts". SpaceNews. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  39. ↑ Mike Wall (10 February 2022). "Astra rocket suffers catastrophic failure in 1st Florida launch, 4 satellites lost". Space.com. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  40. ↑ "Astra blames launch failure on wiring error and software flaw". SpaceNews. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  41. 1 2 Davenport, Justin (14 March 2022). "Astra successfully returns to flight with mission for Spaceflight Inc". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  42. ↑ "Swarm launched satellites on Astra mission". 22 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  43. ↑ McDowell, Jonathan [@planet4589] (11 April 2022). "It's now clear that the Astra LV0009 mission launched 20 SpaceBEEs, namely SpaceBEE 112 to 127 and New Zealand flagged SpaceBEE NZ-11 to NZ-14. All but two are now ID'd by 18SPCS; no IDs yet for the SpaceBEEs launched on Transporter-4" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 April 2022 – via Twitter.
  44. ↑ "S4 CROSSOVER Technical Description". NearSpace Launch, Inc. FCC. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  45. ↑ "NearSpace Launch Joins Astra's Upcoming EyeStar-S4 Mission". SatNews. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  46. ↑ Foust, Jeff (12 June 2022). "Astra launch of NASA TROPICS cubesats fails". SpaceNews. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  47. ↑ "Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation Structure and Storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) Mission Launch Services". sam.gov. Retrieved 9 June 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  48. ↑ Potter, Sean (26 February 2021). "NASA Awards Launch Service Contract for TROPICS Mission". NASA. Retrieved 27 February 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  49. 1 2 "NASA Maintains Contractual Relationship with Astra, Presses Forward with TROPICS Mission". NASA. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  50. ↑ Foust, Jeff (12 August 2021). "Astra announces launch contract with Spire". SpaceNews. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  51. 1 2 Kemp, Chris (18 May 2021). "Planet Labs: Using Space To Help Life On Earth". Astra. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  52. ↑ "Astra Announces Multi-Launch Contract and First Launch with Spaceflight Inc". Business Wire (Press release). 14 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  53. ↑ Erwin, Sandra (22 April 2023). "Astra wins $11.5 million contract to launch military experimental payloads". SpaceNews. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
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