Asta reached T-15 minutes before being forced to hold the final countdown and postpone the launch to the next day after a radar system failed. The radar system, operated by Space Force Delta 45, wasn’t in service during the final moments of the countdown.
We don’t know the specifics as to what the radar system does or what went wrong. However, SLD 45 stated on social media it has “isolated the radar system issue” and will be ready for launch tomorrow.
Now Astra looks for good launch weather
Today’s launch weather peaked at about 70% chance of favorable weather. Astra will skip Sunday’s launch attempt and will move right to its Monday window. The weather was a little dicey for Sunday however we don’t have a weather report for Monday. Hopefully, the conditions continue its improving trend and Astra gets a perfect launch day.
At this point, we don’t know when the next launch attempt after Monday will be. Astra has not filed any flight restrictions with the FAA past Monday but we don’t expect any other missions to interfere with Astra’s planning.
Make sure to follow Space Explored on Twitter to keep track of Astra’s ELaNa 41 launch as updates come.
Featured Image: Astra / John Kraus
