Astra targeting this weekend for second Cape Canaveral launch attempt

Emre Kelly, Florida Today
·2 min read
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Update: Astra launched its Rocket 3.3 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1:43 p.m. ET Sunday, but the mission to take two NASA payloads failed to reach orbit. The upper stage's engine cut out just over seven minutes into flight. Read our full post-launch story here.

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Note: Astra is now targeting 12 p.m to 2 p.m. EDT Sunday, June 12, after having received its FAA launch license. Follow live here.

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Launch startup Astra is targeting no earlier than this weekend for its second attempt at flying from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, this time with a set of NASA payloads.

The California-based company taking a more streamlined, smaller approach to the launch business says it is targeting no earlier than Sunday for liftoff of its Rocket 3.3. Astra this week said an exact T-0 time will be released as soon as the Federal Aviation Administration grants a launch license.

Launch Complex 46, a pad operated by Space Florida at the easternmost tip of the Cape, will host.

Standing shy of 45 feet, Rocket 3.3 is significantly smaller than the Space Coast's usual slate of SpaceX and United Launch Alliance vehicles, both of which meet and exceed the 200-foot mark. Visibility for spectators will come down to being as close to the launch as possible – locations in and around Port Canaveral, for example.

In the rocket's payload fairing will be two spacecraft for NASA's TROPICS program, which aims to operate a small constellation of satellites for weather observation. Sunday's launch, if approved, will take the first two of six total.

The company's last attempt at launching a NASA mission in February, however, didn't go according to plan. Three minutes after launch from the Cape, the rocket's second stage – responsible for deploying the NASA and university-owned payloads – appeared to be in an uncontrolled tumble before the video feed cut out. Astra later confirmed the payloads were lost.

Before February's launch, Astra had only flown from a spaceport in Kodiak, Alaska. The company was founded to decrease costs and turnaround times between missions by using off-the-shelf components and processes. Officials say the entire launch system – rocket, support hardware, and more – can fit in a few shipping containers and the only things needed for launch are a flat concrete surface and internet connectivity.

For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.

Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @EmreKelly.

Launch no earlier than Sunday, June 12

  • Rocket: Astra Rocket 3.3

  • Mission: NASA's TROPICS mission

  • Launch Time: TBD

  • Launch Complex: 46 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

  • Trajectory: East / Northeast

  • Weather: Forecast TBD

Visit floridatoday.com/space Sunday, June 12, for real-time updates and live video of the launch, which is still awaiting FAA approval.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Astra targeting this weekend for second Cape Canaveral launch attempt