Astra may make 2nd orbital launch attempt this year after test flight failure

[Admin]

Friday night's launch failure was apparently caused by a software issue that should be relatively straightforward to fix, Astra representatives said.

Astra may make 2nd orbital launch attempt this year after test flight failure : Read more

 

[Stevew]

Hi Mike,
It's surprising there have been no photos or confirmations of the Astra crash site, Kodiak Spaceport, FAA, or Aurora Launch Services. If the rocket landed on the spaceport grounds, did it hit anything or anyone? If it landed off the spaceport, was it within the declared Launch Hazard Area or ground exclusion zone?

Lester's assurances that his rocket posed no environmental or safety hazards ring pretty hollow after watching the rocket free-fall and explode. Astra's 3.1 Press kit says that "Roll program initiated" at +5 seconds and that the "Vehicle clears the range" at +25 seconds. Thirty seconds of "nominal" flight from an ocean-front launchpad and the rocket explodes on land?

Astra was the last participant in the DARPA Rapid Launch competition? How about some reporting on what looks to many to have been a charade?

Raises a few questions since Astra has had as many fires and explosions at Kodiak as they've had launch attempts.

 

[SpaceShuttleer]

Remember a small rocket company made by an over enthusiastic billionaire with unrealistic ideas about spaceflight that couldn't get a rocket launch right? You know, the one called SpaceX?