NASA loses two hurricane monitoring satellites

After the Astra rocket of NASA's hurricane monitoring satellites shut off before reaching the necessary altitude, the US space agency lost them.

NASA's Launch Services Program said on Twitter, "After a nominal first stage flight, the upper stage of the rocket shut down early and failed to deliver the TROPICS CubeSats to orbit."

Making observations more often than what is possible with current weather satellites," NASA described the TROPICS CubeSats as a constellation of six "shoe-box sized" satellites that will "study the formation and development of tropical cyclones in a post before the launch.

In February 2021, Astra received a $7.95 million contract from NASA for three launches that have TROPICS devices on board.

Astra promises more frequent launches with more flexibility than companies using bigger rockets, hoping to become a key player in the market for launching small satellites like SpaceX and Arianespace.

Aerospace company Astra, which is based in California, that has faced recurring issues with its signature two-stage rocket failing to reach orbit.

Astra's second stage failed to reach orbit due to an issue releasing the shells during another NASA CubeSat mission in February.

Astra's chief executive Chris Kemp said, "We regret not being able to deliver the first two TROPICS satellites."