Astra's Rocket 3 Gets to Orbit on Fourth Orbital Attempt

Credit: NASASpaceflight/Astra

On Friday, November 19 at 10:16 pm PT, Astra launched Rocket 3.3 for the second time. And this time, THEY GOT TO ORBIT!!! Congragulations Astra! The launch was originally targeted for November 18, but it was scrubbed at T-30 min because of high winds. This was their fourth orbital attempt that follows LV0006 in August. That launch was a failure, in which the rocket slid off the pad horizontally because of an engine failure. It later readjusted itself but had to be terminated. LV0007 had some small improvements to make sure the issue is resolved.

Similar to LV0006, this rocket had a test payload from the US Space Force that will not separate. It was numbered STP-27AD2. Since this rocket got to orbit, the next flight will hopefully have a satellite.

This is a major step in Astra's goal to improve life on Earth. Astra is currently building LV0008, 9, and 10. Rocket 4 is also planned to have its first launch next year. Astra also plans to launch from multiple spaceports, including international ones, and have daily launches by 2025.