written by stephen clark, on february 10th, 2022
what: astra rocket launched then tumbled out of control
where: cape canaveral
why: fairing failed to jettison before 2nd stage ignited
when: launched february 10, 2022
interesting fact: four nasa cubesats on board were destroyed. astra is one of numerous companies seeking to carve a niche in the rapidly growing small satellite launch market, offering relatively low-cost rides to orbit for commercial, military, and scientific spacecraft. the launch thursday was a demonstration flight for nasa’s venture class launch services program, which selected astra for the test mission with a $3.9 million launch contract.
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