Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket suffered a technical issue on Tuesday as it ascended into space on its sixth flight, causing a Lockheed Martin satellite it was supposed to place into orbit to crash into the Pacific Ocean.

The mishap caused the rocket to lose its engine nozzle extension, significantly reducing its thrust and making it unable to reach its designated orbit.

Launch provider says a nozzle extension on the upper engine was lost during stage separation, preventing the rocket from reaching orbit.