(Bloomberg) — Astra Space Inc. said its first commercial satellite launch was unsuccessful after an undisclosed problem, sending shares tumbling as the startup suffered its second major setback this week.
“We experienced an issue during today’s flight that resulted in the payloads not being delivered to orbit,” the company said Thursday on Twitter. “More information will be provided after we complete a data review.”
The company was attempting to carry a batch of four small satellites into space for customers including NASA. While the rocket lifted off without incident and appeared in a live webcast to reach space, it was unclear if the two-stage system separated successfully or if the vehicle’s second-stage engine had ignited as planned.
Astra officials stopped providing flight status updates several minutes into the launch, suggesting a possible issue. On the webcast, they apologized to customers and said an anomaly prevented deployment of the satellites.
Astra shares plunged 26% Thursday in New York, the stock’s biggest one-day loss.
The launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida came three days after the company’s Rocket 3.3 aborted its launch at the last second due to a “minor telemetry issue.”
(Updates with additional details in third paragraph)
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