Astra rocket does a real smooth slide before failing to reach orbit

Astra’s first rocket launch since it the company went public wasn’t exactly the success the company hoped for. An engine failing to fire a second into the launch caused the rocket to hover sideways before attempting to reach orbit. The flight safety crew purposely stalled the engines 2 minutes and 28 seconds into the flight after a piece of the rocket appeared to break off.

Before returning to earth it had reached an altitude of 31 miles.

The two-stage Launch Vehicle 0006 (or LV0006) was originally scheduled to launch from the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak, Alaska on Friday, August 27. That launch was delayed until August 28 after the rocket’s guidance system called an abort. According to Space the initial abort was due to an...

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