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Footage obtained by TechCrunch shows the ruinous closing that Astra ’s Rocket 3.0 suffer during prelaunch testing in March 2020 .
The explosion , which occurred at Alaska ’s Pacific Spaceport Complex , was just reported as an “ anomaly ” at the meter , an industry term for reasonably much any return that deviates from the expected outcome .
“ I can substantiate we had an anomaly on the launching pad , ” Alaska Aerospace CEO Mark Lestertold local newsperson at the time . “ We are executing our parking brake checklist . We request everyone stay clear of the area to appropriate our crew to turn to the billet . ”
Meanwhile , Astra chief executive officer Chris Kemp told TechCrunch at the time that the rocket “ endure an anomaly following an otherwise successful Clarence Shepard Day Jr. of testing in Kodiak in preparation for a launching this hebdomad . ” He add that the party ’s hardware “ was the only matter harmed . ” He tolda separate publicationthat the company would not be attempting a launching after that workweek , and that it would “ wait until status with coronavirus improve before making another try ” — when in actuality , there was no longer a rocket to launch .
The picture snip show the micro launcher abound into fire . It ’s unmortgaged the vehicle did not endure . It would have been Astra ’s third orbital launch effort .
At the time , Astra was taking such failure in stride . When the company emerge from stealth sooner that year , it did so with a conviction that it could build projectile at such a high volume , and at such a low toll , that some amount of bankruptcy could be price in : 100 % reliableness was not the goal goal . That ’s how Kemp summed it upin a May 2022 audience : “ The expected value I think that a lot of the great unwashed have is every launch has to be double-dyed , ” he enjoin . “ I think what Astra has to do , really , is we have to have so many launches nobody think about it anymore . ”
Astra went on to reach compass for the first meter in November 2021 , and a 2d fourth dimension in March 2022 .
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Astra had been one of the large success stories for space industry investor , with the startup function public in July 2021 at a $ 2.1 billion evaluation after raising nearly $ 500 million for its ultra - low - toll launch plans . But those plans fail to materialize , and after month of burning cash , Astra ’s boardquietly accepted a take - private dealfrom Kemp and CTO Adam London at a blood line Leontyne Price of just $ 0.50 per share . The mess is expected to close sometime this tail , at which prison term Astra will cease trading on the Nasdaq .
Astra did not return a request for comment on the 2020 launching failure .
