(Bloomberg) — Astra Space Inc. shares tumbled after the company’s debut launch for customers was aborted at the last second, ultimately leading it to cancel Monday’s attempt to send satellites into space.
The initial halt was triggered automatically by onboard systems before the rocket left the launchpad, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said Monday in a blog post.
The company in a tweet said it was “standing down today due to a minor telemetry issue.” It will provide an update on the next launch opportunity soon, Astra added.
The launch provider, based in Alameda, California, was attempting to send four “cubesats” into space for three universities and NASA. Cubesats are small satellites that typically weigh less than three pounds.
Astra’s shares sank further after the launch was called off. The stock fell as much as 19%, and was down 13% at 3:30 p.m. in New York.
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