FAILURE : Astra R3.3 - LV0010 - TROPICS Flight 1 - CCSFS SLC-46 - 12 June 2022

[Conexion Espacial]

A short video with shots of Rocket 3.3 and information from TROPICS before the FAA licensing this afternoon.

[Conexion Espacial]

https://twitter.com/Astra/status/1535357770295390213

[Conexion Espacial]

https://twitter.com/astra/status/1535360825837469696

[Conexion Espacial]

NASASpaceFlight Livestream

[Conexion Espacial]

The launch window will be two hours starting at 16:00 UTC (12:00 EDT).
https://astra.com/missions/tropics-1/

[Ken the Bin]

L-1 weather forecast.  50% -> 20% 'Go' for June 12.  70% -> 50% 'Go' for June 13.  All Additional Risk Criteria are Low.

[Conexion Espacial]

New astra images of the static fire

[kdhilliard]

A short video with shots of Rocket 3.3 and information from TROPICS before the FAA licensing this afternoon.

What's so secret about the Pac-Man silhouette that it needed to be blurred?
Image from 0:40 in that video.

[Bean Kenobi]

A short video with shots of Rocket 3.3 and information from TROPICS before the FAA licensing this afternoon.

What's so secret about the Pac-Man silhouette that it needed to be blurred?
Image from 0:40 in that video.

It's a hole in the rocket, look at the photo just above.

[kdhilliard]

...
It's a hole in the rocket, look at the photo just above.

Right.  An access hole in the upper fairing, shown with cover in place in this high-res Brady Kenniston photo from Astra's mission page.

But why blurred?  That high, I'd have thought all it would show would be the payload.
(Also interesting in Kenniston's photo is the "Remove Before Flight" tag emerging from the cover of a lower fairing access cover.)

[Jim]

But why blurred?  That high, I'd have thought all it would show would be the payload.
(Also interesting in Kenniston's photo is the "Remove Before Flight" tag emerging from the cover of a lower fairing access cover.)

it would show parts of the upper stage

[Celeste_El]

...
It's a hole in the rocket, look at the photo just above.

Right.  An access hole in the upper fairing, shown with cover in place in this high-res Brady Kenniston photo from Astra's mission page.

But why blurred?  That high, I'd have thought all it would show would be the payload.
(Also interesting in Kenniston's photo is the "Remove Before Flight" tag emerging from the cover of a lower fairing access cover.)

Yeah, it would be almost right in the middle of the second stage. I don't think people have grasp of just how far the second stage sticks into the fairing. There's not a ton of usable space for payloads however, given the low payload to orbit, I don't think its a big deal.

Photo is from an old factory tour video. The video is public, IE I'm not leaking anything 

[Celeste_El]

Also, I feel like there should be an overarching thread for all 3 of the tropics launches instead of individual ones for each launch given they're all for the same mission and should, hopefully, have a short turn around between the three of them.

[Rondaz]

Orbital Launch no.64 of 2022

TROPICS-1 | Astra | June 12 | 1200 ET

@Astra (NASDAQ: $ASTR) will launch the @NASA #TROPICS1 mission carrying two earth observation 3U cubesats from @MIT onboard its Rocket 3🚀#LV0010 from SLC-46 @SLDelta45, FL.

https://twitter.com/SpaceIntellige3/status/1535199872902737920

[Ken the Bin]

L-0 weather forecast.  40% -> 10% 'Go' for June 12.  70% -> 50% 'Go' for June 13.  All Additional Risk Criteria are Low.

[kdhilliard]

Astra/NASASpaceFlight webcast is now live:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=HztFm2XGO7s

Edit: Looks like they are targeting the 12:00 opening of their window.

[Chris Bergin]

https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1536008930085724160

[edkyle99]

Holding at T-15 min due to boats in the safety area.

 - Ed Kyle

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1536014522930155520

Holding at T-15 due to @WaywardBoat in the Range!

youtube.com/watch?v=HztFm2…
#AstraPartner

[edkyle99]

Now counting down toward a 16:12 UTC launch.