Astra Is Transitioning To The Next Version Of Its Launch System
Reaching orbit is an immensely difficult task that few companies have managed to successfully complete on a consistent basis. Astra Space knows this very well with a list of attempted launches over the past few years. While the company has managed to reach orbit, they have also failed multiple times. This includes the most recent launch of LV0010 which suffered a second stage failure.
These continued issues combined with a few other factors have pushed the company to cancel its rocket 3 line and move on to the next iteration. Specifically, Astra is trying to transition to the next version of its launch system and is working with customers to re-manifest all payloads onto the new launch system, designed for higher capacity, reliability, and production rate.
While we still haven’t received more information on the exact cause of the previous launch failure, it’s clear that Astra is not happy with the results and working on a long term solution rather than patching up errors every other launch. Here I will go more in-depth into the cancelation of this rocket line, what Astra is going to work on, and what to expect in the coming months from the company.
Rocket 3 Line
Only a few days ago Astra announced that it plans to stop production on its current rocket line after multiple different failures. In other words, Astra announced that after two of its four Rocket 3.3 flights were successful, the Company will transition to the next version of its launch system and is working with customers to re-manifest all payloads onto the new launch system, designed for higher capacity, reliability, and production rate. “We have increased the design point of our new launch system to deliver up to 600-kilogram satellites to mid-inclination low Earth orbit over the course of the product lifecycle, which we believe will allow us to service over 75% of the small satellite market, including many of the new mega-constellations,” said Chris Kemp, Astra Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO.
In addition, Astra announced that the base bulk launch price for dedicated launches is expected to remain under five million dollars. “We have made substantial changes to our operating plan to concentrate and focus our investments on the development and introduction of the upgraded version of our launch system and the increased production of the Astra Spacecraft EngineTM,” said CFO, Kelyn Brannon. “Furthermore, the $100 million Committed Equity Facility with B. Riley Principal Capital provides improved financial flexibility as we execute on these objectives.”
Taking a closer look at the history of the Rocket 3 line, gives a better idea of why Astra is moving on. Starting in September of 2020, there was a 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. However, 30 seconds after lift off engines were shut down by the range safety officer. Only a few months later that same year in December, Astra tried another launch with Rocket 3.2. This was the first Astra rocket to pass the Kármán Line and reach its target orbital altitude of 390 kilometers. However, it narrowly failed to reach stable orbit due to issues with the upper stage propellant mixture ratio, but exceeded the company’s expectations with an otherwise-successful climb into near-orbital space from Kodiak Island, Alaska. The next attempt was in August of 2021 and followed the same theme of previous launches. It was the first commercial Rocket 3 launch, and 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. A fueling system propellant leak was determined to be the root cause of the problem.
After all these failed attempts Astra finally got a break and successful launch in November of 2021. Unfortunately, only months later in February of this year, there was another failure. Specifically, it was NASA’s Venture Class Launch Services 2 (VCLS 2) Mission One, officially known as VCLS Demo-2A. The ELaNa 41 mission, consisting of four CubeSats, was launched on this flight. An issue occurred after stage separation during the flight, which prevented delivery of the payloads into orbit. 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. Finally, after one more successful launch after this one, there was the most recent failure. The first of three launches for the TROPICS constellation. Both satellites were lost as the rocket failed to reach orbit. The constellation was intended to consist of six satellites in total. Right now Astra is still working to find out exactly what went wrong on this launch. However, the company decided that with a rocky history and new plans for the future, it was best if they moved on from the Rocket 3 line and went forward with a different launch system.
Astra’s Next Steps
Now that we know more about the history of Astra’s Rocket 3 line and their plan moving forward, we can take a closer look at the next launch system and more. The company has highlighted that its Launch System 2.0 will focus on improving cadence, capacity, and cost, while increasing automation. The design point is 300 kilograms of payload to low Earth orbit using a slightly larger rocket with more powerful engines. While Astra continues to focus on capacity, they are continuing to drive costs down as well. Their base launch price will be $3.95 million. By continuing to offer what they hope to be the lowest price per launch, they are confident they will continue to attract customers. One of Astra’s unique rocket features has to do with its ability to move around easily. “It will still be, critically, a mobile launch system. The rocket will still be transportable in shipping containers,” Kemp said. “It really differentiates us from the large rockets when you can pack the entire thing up, put it on a plane, a truck, a train, a container ship, move it anywhere around the world discreetly.”
In addition, while there are complexities to announcing the next launch, Astra aims to achieve a daily launch capability by expanding the number of spaceports, using private and exclusive-use launch sites, leveraging streamlined regulatory processes, such as the FAA’s Part 450 License, using its existing mobile launch capability, and requiring limited infrastructure at the launch site. Part 450 licenses can be modified to add additional sites, saving the time and expense of applying for a new license as Astra expands its rocket and spaceport fleet. This same cost efficiency is realized on a per-mission basis, with streamlined regulatory compliance for each subsequent flight under Part 450. Thanks to advancements in technology, space is now accessible to the private sector in ways that it never has been before, enabling a new generation of entrepreneurs. The revolution happening in the space industry is akin to the birth of the internet – tens of thousands of satellites are planned to be built and launched in the coming decade. The new Part 450 rule was introduced to support greater innovation and help lay the foundation for the FAA to keep pace with the dramatic increase in the cadence and complexity of commercial space transportation operations.
Astra is also focused on dramatically increasing access to space by scaling its launch services business as quickly as possible. The company highlights that to get to space more economically, you can either scale up your rocket or scale out your factory to make many smaller rockets, they’ve chosen to scale out their factory and automate as much as they can so they can make more rockets more quickly with less people. As part of this, Astra unveiled the next phase of its launch services roadmap, Launch System 2.0. In the next phase of Astra’s plan for the future, they are working to develop or license required core space technologies that will be productized and incorporated into newer rockets, satellites, and other infrastructure, that will be used to deliver space services. The acquisition of Apollo Fusion last summer is one example of the company acquiring and productizing a core space technology. Finally, in Phase 3 which they expect by 2023, they plan to vertically integrate Astra’s core technologies into an Astra constellation, which will be optimally launched and maintained by the Astra launch system allowing them to power the space economy. These very ambitious plans for the future are what Astra is working on now in order to become a more capable launch and service provider.
Conclusion
Astra along with many other companies have proved how hard it is to successfully reach orbit. Unfortunately for Astra, the company has managed to achieve that milestone but can’t consistently get there. This among other reasons has led the company to move on from its current rocket and work on launch system 2.0. We will have to wait and see how it progresses and the impact it has on the space industry.
