Before the rocket left the launch pad, automatic systems on board Astra’s Rocket 3.3 triggered an abort at approximately 1:50 p.m. EST, delaying launch of NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa 41) mission.
Astra teams are currently assessing the rocket systems, and they have enough time remaining in the launch window to restart the countdown clock at T-15 if they can troubleshoot the issue that caused the abort. The launch window closes at 4 p.m. EST.
The launch, from Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, is scheduled to carry four CubeSats into low-Earth Orbit. Astra Space Inc. is one of three companies selected as service providers to launch small satellites to space, including CubeSats , microsats or nanosatellites, through VCLS Demo 2 contracts awarded by NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP), based at Kennedy Space Center. LSP supports the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) by providing opportunities for small satellite payloads built by universities, high schools, and non-profit organizations to fly on upcoming launches.
Stay connected with the mission on social media, and let people know you’re following it on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram by tagging these accounts:
Twitter: @NASA, @NASA_LSP, @Astra
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