California-based rocket startup Astra Space Inc aborted the planned liftoff of its first operational satellite launch, a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) mission, on Monday, citing a technical glitch that emerged at the last second.

The countdown was halted at T-minus zero, just moments before Astra's two-stage, kerosene-fuelled Launch Vehicle 0008, also known as Rocket 3.3, was due to blast off from Launch Complex 46 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida...