Astra Rocket 3.0 Catastrophic Ending : TechCrunch

TechCrunch has obtained footage showing the catastrophic ending of Astra’s Rocket 3.0 during prelaunch testing in March 2020. The explosion, described as an 'anomaly,' occurred at Alaska’s Pacific Spaceport Complex. Both the CEOs of Alaska Aerospace and Astra responded to the incident, and the video clip revealed the rocket bursting into flames. Astra, despite setbacks, had initially embraced the potential for failures within its operation. The company, previously a notable success story in the space industry, had gone public in 2021 but ultimately faced financial challenges, leading to a take-private deal. The deal is anticipated to close soon, marking the end of Astra's trading on the Nasdaq. Astra did not provide comment on the 2020 launch failure.