Continuing the iterative path toward reaching orbit, Astra attempted its third orbital launch on August 28. The first Rocket 3.3 vehicle, designated LV0006, lifted off on Saturday, August 28 at 15:45 PDT (22:45 UTC). Less than one second after liftoff, an engine on the first stage failed, causing a sideways ascent off the pad. LV0006 temporarily recovered and reached approximately 50 km altitude before the range commanded the remaining engines to shut down, ending the mission.
This was Astra’s first launch with a payload onboard, albeit only a mass simulator.
This test payload was part of the STP-27AD1 mission for the United States Space Force’s Space Test Program. The goal of the flight was to demonstrate Astra’s orbital launch capability.
“We hope to learn a lot,” said Astra Founder, Chairman, and CEO Chris Kemp, in an interview with NASASpaceflight prior to launch. “This’ll be a test flight of our improved Rocket 3. We’ll be taking a test payload from the Space Force, and hopefully, we’ll have a full flight so we’ll be able to collect a full set of data for them.”
The mission lifted off from LP-3B at the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak, Alaska. This was the same launch complex that hosted the Rocket 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2 launch campaigns. Kodiak’s relatively quiet launch schedule and remote location offer a favorable launch site for early test flights.
Reviewing flight data and video, two things are very clear - 1) An engine shut down right after launch 2) Everything that happened next made me incredibly proud of our team. Space may be hard, but like this rocket, we are not giving up. #AdAstra pic.twitter.com/2g3n812EaW
— Chris Kemp (@Kemp) August 29, 2021
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