Astra Launch Failure Investigation, NASA Contract Loss, & More
Astra Space has had quite a rough time trying to achieve consistent access to space with a dedicated small lift launch vehicle. Most recently we watched the failed TROPICS mission with NASA and the announcement that the company was moving on from the Rocket 3 line. However, we finally have received some more information on what exactly when wrong with that launch attempt.
Two days ago on the 28th, Astra released a partial launch investigation report that highlighted the company’s progress and part of what went wrong. Specifically, they determined that the upper stage shut down early due to a higher-than-normal fuel consumption rate. In addition, it looks as if Astra Space will no longer be launching NASA’s TROPICS satellites after discussions between the two were made.
Instead, they have agreed to modify the terms of their existing launch services agreement for NASA’s TROPICS mission to allow for the future launch of comparable scientific payloads on version 4.0 of Astra’s rocket. All of which is not ideal for the company already struggling to make ends meet within the space industry. Here I will go more in-depth into the launch investigation report, new NASA contract, company overview, and more.
Launch Investigation
Just a few months ago in June, we watched Astra attempt the first TROPICS mission with NASA. Here Rocket 3.3 carrying 2 TROPICS 3U CubeSats lifted off from Cape Canaveral. Everything seemed to be going well until around 8 minutes into launch when you could see the upper stage start to deviate from its path before the video feed was eventually cut. Not long after Astra announced that the payloads had been lost and they were unsuccessful in reaching orbit. Since then the company has been working on an investigation to figure out exactly what went wrong. Thankfully, only two days ago on the 28th, Astra tweeted saying, “LV0010 Launch Investigation Update: The team has made significant progress.” They clarified that they had made progress in figuring out why the first stage shut down early. Their investigation process consists of four core steps including Flight Data Review, Timeline Reconstruction, Fault Tree Analyses, and Implementing Corrective and Preventative Actions.
In the report, Astra said, “We have completed steps #1 and #2, and are nearing completion of step #3. We’ve determined that the upper stage shut down early due to a higher-than-normal fuel consumption rate. Through the review of flight data, reconstruction of flight timelines, and the construction of an extensive fault tree, we have narrowed the root cause to an issue with the upper stage engine. We have also completed many rounds of ground testing, including multiple tests that yielded results consistent with the failure condition in flight.” They finished by mentioning, “The team is conducting additional experiments to verify the root cause before wrapping up the investigation with the FAA. We are focused on conducting an exhaustive investigation and ensuring that we extract all lessons learned. Once the investigation is finished, we look forward to sharing our lessons learned in a future blog post.” This was the end of the report and the extent of the information provided during this update.
Looking at Astra’s past, this would not be the first launch failure related to the rocket’s engines. Back in August of 2021, LV0006 was unable to reach orbit after an early engine failure on the first stage. Specifically, the mission was the first commercial Rocket 3 launch, and the first of two demonstration launches for the U.S. Space Force. 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. Not long after the launch a fueling system propellant leak was determined to be the root cause of the problem. However, both of these launches join a host of other failed missions due to various reasons.
For one last example, on February 10th, 2022, Astra launched LV0008. This was their first launch with a deployable customer payload and our first time launching from Cape Canaveral. After a nominal first stage flight, an anomaly occurred during the stage separation process which resulted in the upper stage not reaching orbit and the end of the mission. Astra’s investigation verified that the payload fairing did not fully deploy prior to upper stage ignition due to an electrical issue. The separation mechanisms (which there are 5 of) were fired in an incorrect order, which resulted in off-nominal movement of the fairing that caused an electrical disconnection. Due to the disconnection, the last separation mechanism never received its command to open, which prevented the fairing from separating completely before upper stage ignition. Each of these different mishaps combined with the most recent failure is why the company canceled the Rocket 3 line and is moving on from here.
NASA Contract Update
Not only did Astra release more information on the cause of the most recent launch failure, but they also gave an update on the company’s contracts and future opportunities with NASA. As partially mentioned prior, the TROPICS mission was for NASA, and ended up losing 2 satellites. Combine this with the fact that the cancellation of the Rocket 3 line means it will be quite a while before Astra is ready to launch, and NASA had to reconsider its options.
Not long after the 2 satellites were lost, the agency said, “While we are disappointed in the loss of the two TROPICS CubeSats, the mission is part of NASA’s Earth venture program, which provides opportunities for lower-cost, higher risk missions. Despite a loss of the first two of six satellites, the TROPICS constellation will still meet its science objectives with the four remaining CubeSats distributed in two orbits. With four satellites, TROPICS will still provide improved time-resolved observations of tropical cyclones compared to traditional observing methods.”
However, two days ago on the 28th, Astra tweeted mentioning, “Astra is delighted to continue our partnership with @NASA and have the Agency as a launch customer for the next version of our rocket.” In addition, they released a small statement that said, “Astra and NASA have agreed to modify the terms of our existing launch services agreement for NASA’s TROPICS mission to allow for the future launch of comparable scientific payloads on version 4.0 of Astra’s rocket. We are delighted to maintain our strong partnership and to have NASA as a launch customer on the next version of Astra’s rocket.” While these comments are somewhat vague, it looks as if Astra will no longer be launching any of NASA’s TROPICS remaining four satellites. Instead, the agency will look for other options in the time being. This being said, the agency still plans to work with the company in the future if they get Rocket 4.0 up and running.
To give a better idea of NASA’s decision, we can look at some of the agency’s comments after the launch failure. They pointed out that as a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) licensed mission, the FAA and Astra will lead the investigation to understand what happened during the TROPICS-1 launch. NASA will lend any expertise needed but would expect to pause the launch effort with Astra while an investigation is being conducted to ensure they move forward when ready. In addition, NASA’s Launch Services Program, which is managing the launch service for the mission, continues to work with emerging launch providers to deliver low-cost science missions into orbit with contracts that align with commercial practices, using less NASA oversight to achieve lower launch costs. Small satellites and Class D payloads tolerate relatively high risk and serve as an ideal platform for technical and architecture innovation, contributing to NASA’s science research and technology development. The agency finished by pointing out, thanks to the transparency displayed by Astra, NASA has been involved with the investigation on Astra’s previous launch.
Additionally, they have been engaged in the discussions about lessons learned and corrective actions. NASA recognizes the risks inherent in a new launch provider and will lend its assistance as needed. All of which was said back in June of this year. It seems that the multiple failures combined with the cancellation of the Rocket 3 line has encouraged NASA to slightly change plans for the future of Astra contracts. Right now the company is not in an ideal spot as they have no launch vehicle and quite a lot of work ahead of them. This being said, the company has managed to successfully reach orbit multiple times and still has NASA’s future backing. All of which are important for the future of the company, and accessing space.
Conclusion
Astra Space has had a bit of a rough time trying to consistently access space. In the past few years, they have had off and on successful missions losing multiple payloads in the process. Just a few days ago the company released more information about the launch investigation along with NASA’s future plans and contract with Astra. We will have to wait and see how it progresses and the impact it has on the space industry.