spacetoday.net: Astra returns to flight with Alaska launch

Astra returns to flight with Alaska launch

Posted: Sun, Mar 20, 2022, 1:20 PM ET (1720 GMT)
Astra successfully launched payloads for three customers Tuesday in the return to flight of its Rocket 3.3 vehicle. The rocket lifted off from Kodiak Island, Alaska, at 12:22 pm EDT (1622 GMT) and the company confirmed a successful delivery of the payloads to sun-synchronous orbit an hour later. The vehicle carried a student-built cubesat and a payload for NearSpace Launch that remained attached to the upper stage as planned. A third, unidentified customer had one or more payloads on the vehicle. The launch was the first for Astra since the failure of a Feb. 10 launch carrying four cubesats sponsored by NASA.