His development program was comprehensive, with static test vehicles, a low-altitude hopper, and extensive testing of the key technology: thrust-vector control.

The test run called for throttling the engines down and back up as they will be during an actual flight, testing the rocket's thrust vector control, or steering, system and monitoring how ...

If this scenario occurred during a flight, the rocket would have continued to fly using the remaining CAPUs to power the thrust vector control systems for the engines." ...

A video still from a thrust vector control test of the Teprel-B engine PLD Space is developing for its suborbital Mirua 1 rocket. Credit: PLD Space via YouTube.

A core component is stabilization of the rocket during the entire flight, which achieved using a thrust-vectoring control (TVC) mount for the rocket motors and a custom flight computer loaded with ...

At that point, the rocket started to lose its thrust vector control, or the ability to steer itself. This led to the initiation of the flight termination system.

But because of an issue with a “thrust vector control actuator,” the launch and historic landing have now been delayed.