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List of Astra rocket launches

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Astra manufactures and operates launch vehicles for both commercial and military customers for launching satellites into orbit. The first of these orbital launch vehicles was labelled "Rocket 3".

Astra's first two rockets, Rocket 1.0 and Rocket 2.0 were suborbital test vehicles without payloads. Although their only launches were reported to be failures,[1][2] Astra reported they were successful. Astra reached space (Karman line) for the first time on their second Rocket 3 launch (third if one counts in a previous rocket destroyed by fire on the launch pad) but the upper stage did not enter into orbit due to a wrong fuel and oxidizer mixture ratio. The company concluded that this met their goal for the mission and on their next flight they would fly a commercial payload.[3] Astra's next flight on 28 August 2021 with their fourth Rocket 3 vehicle, Rocket 3.3 (LV0006) carrying a payload for the United States Space Force, failed to reach space after one of the engine failed 1 second after liftoff, but it did reach an altitude of 31 miles (50 kilometers).[4]

On 20 November 2021 at 06:16:00, Astra Space launched its first successful mission to orbit. Rocket 3.3 (LV0007), carrying a demonstration payload from the US Department of Defense was launched from PSCA, after several unsuccessful launches during 2021 and 2020. The company's stocks surged by as much as 42% after this feat.[5]

As of June 2022, there have been two successful launches (both orbital) out of a total of nine attempts (of which 2 were suborbital). In addition, a launch vehicle was destroyed during a pre-launch countdown dress rehearsal on 23 March 2020.[6]

On 4 August 2022 during a quarterly briefing, Astra announced that after a string of failures leading to payload loss, Rocket 3.3 will be retired, and it will be replaced by the future Rocket 4.0 Launch Vehicle.[7]

Future rocket variants currently in development include Rocket 4.0 (an upgraded version of Rocket 3) and Rocket 5.0 (a suborbital point-to-point delivery variant of Rocket 3.0).[8][9]

Rocket 1

Rocket 1 prior to launch at PSCA on 12 July 2018.

Rocket 1 was a single test vehicle designed between October 2016, when Astra was formed, and March 2018 when the first launch window opened.[10] This vehicle utilized five first stage "Delphin" engines. While second stage engine "Aether" was still being developed, an upper stage (second stage) mass simulator was used in its place. The exterior dimensions of this vehicle were similar to Rocket 3 due to the size limitation of fitting within a standard shipping container. A number of unsuccessful launch attempts were made between the initial window in March 2018 and July 2018 before the vehicle lifted off in July 2018. At the time, the company had been commonly referred to as "Stealth Space Company" in various media outlets.

Launch

At approximately 22:00 UTC (15:00 PDT) on 20 July 2018, Rocket 1 left the Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska (PSCA) Launch Pad 2 for the company's first sub-orbital launch attempt. The foggy conditions made it difficult to observe the launch according to local reporters.[11] After approximately 27 seconds of propelled flight, the vehicle suffered an anomaly and crashed into ground, within the perimeter fence of the spaceport. Following uncertainty regarding the launch, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated: "The Astra Space, Inc. launch from the Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska at Kodiak Island on 20 July 2018 experienced a mishap. It was an FAA-licensed launch, and the agency is reviewing the event".[11] No injuries were reported. Craig Campbell, President of Alaska Aerospace, told SpaceNews on 27 July 2018:

"Our customer has requested we not discuss their operations with the press. I can confirm that a launch from the Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska occurred on Friday, July 20th and that the customer is very pleased with the outcome of the launch. While a post-launch team is reviewing the results of the launch, I can state that there was no material damage to our facilities as a result of this launch, we look forward to working with this customer to support their next launch from Alaska".[11]

Rocket 2

Rocket 2 was launched at 30 November 2018 at 03:00 UTC (20:00 PST on 29 November 2018) from Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska, Launch Pad 2, the same used for Rocket 1. After approximately 30 seconds of powered flight, the vehicle aborted, resulting in the vehicle falling to the ground and crashing. Sources observing the launch reported the vehicle landed slightly outside the perimeter fence, south of the launch pad, but on spaceport property.

This launch had no customer and acted as a suborbital test flight using a mass simulator for the second stage, as Aether was still in development. There was no payload on board.[12] The mission planned to fly on an azimuth of 195° from the spaceport, but the license did not disclose the planned altitude or downrange distance for the mission.[2] No injuries were reported.[2]

Rocket 3

Rocket 3
Rocket 3.0 being prepared to launch.
FunctionOrbital launch vehicle
ManufacturerAstra
Country of originUnited States
Cost per launchUS$2.5 million [13][14]
Size
Height11.6 m (38 ft)
Capacity
Payload to SSO
Altitude500 km (310 mi)
Mass25–150 kg (55–331 lb)
Associated rockets
Comparable
Launch history
StatusRetired
Launch sitesPSCA, CCSFS SLC-46
Total launches7 (+1 rocket destroyed before launch)
Success(es)2
Failure(s)5 (+1 rocket destroyed before launch)
First stage
Powered by5 Delphin
Maximum thrustc. 32,500 lbf [15]
PropellantRP-1/LOX
Second stage
Engines1 Aether
Thrust740 lbf vacuum [15]
PropellantRP-1/LOX
[edit on Wikidata]
Astra Rocket Engine — Delphin 3.0

The Rocket 3 was a 11.6 m (38 ft) launch vehicles that had a payload capacity of 25–150 kg (55–331 lb) to a 500 km (310 mi) Sun-synchronous orbit.[16] The rocket consisted of two stages. The first stage had five electric-pump-fed engines called "Delphin" with 6,500 lbf (29,000 N) of thrust each.[17][15] The second stage had one pressure-fed engine called "Aether" with 740 lbf (3,300 N) (vacuum) of thrust.[15]

Rocket 3.0

Launch of Rocket 3.1

The first Rocket 3, "1 of 3" or "Rocket 3.0", completed a static fire test at Castle Airport, California. It was planned to launch from Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska (PSCA) with attempted launches in late February and early March 2020, with the last launch attempt on 2 March 2020, as part of the DARPA Launch Challenge.[18] Three CubeSats for the U.S. Department of Defense and the University of South Florida, along with a space-based beacon designed to aid in space traffic management, were slated to ride into orbit on "1 of 3". On 2 March 2020, DARPA and Astra officials said the Prometheus CubeSat, the University of South Florida's two Articulated Reconnaissance and Communications Expedition (ARCE) nanosatellites, and the space-based radio beacon payload were to be removed from the rocket after the end of the Launch Challenge. Astra had failed to launch within the DARPA Launch Challenge's launch window; launch preparations continued regardless for the test flight.[17][19]

On 23 March 2020, "1 of 3" was destroyed by fire during launch preparations. The incident at the Pacific Spaceport Complex on Kodiak Island occurred while Astra was detanking fuel during a pre-launch countdown dress rehearsal.[6] A valve on Rocket 3.0 remained open.[6] This incident was first reported by KMXT, a local public radio station.[20] Astra CEO Chris Kemp confirmed no payloads were on-board Astra's rocket at the time of the incident.[21]

Rocket 3.1

A second launch attempt was planned for no earlier than 31 August 2020 at 02:00 UTC using the second Rocket 3 vehicle, Rocket 3.1 (formerly "2 of 3"), but was delayed due to unfavorable weather conditions.[22][6] The next launch window began on 11 September 2020. The launch occurred on 12 September 2020 at 03:19 UTC. The launch failed during first stage flight, when Rocket 3.1 experienced an anomaly and fell back to Earth shortly after,[23] and exploded on impact in a part of the spaceport that was cleared of personnel before launch. However, many public viewers captured footage of the launch and failure with the rocket slamming into the ground creating an explosion and cloud. Astra officials said on 12 September 2020, a software fix will likely resolve a guidance system problem that caused the first orbital-class rocket to begin drifting off course soon after liftoff, prompting a range safety officer to terminate the flight. The result was not unexpected after Astra officials set modest goals for the test flight. The rocket carried no payload. The company said it planned a series of three test launches before it expects to reach orbit with its commercial rocket. Astra confirmed that Rocket 3.2, the third Rocket 3, was almost complete and would take flight after data review and making necessary changes.[24]

Rocket 3.2

On 15 December 2020 at roughly 20:55 UTC, Astra launched its third Rocket 3 vehicle, called Rocket 3.2 (formerly "3 of 3").[25][26] The rocket successfully passed the Kármán Line and reached its target orbital altitude of 390 kilometers, a first for Astra. However, due to issues with the upper stage's fuel mixture, the rocket failed to achieve orbit.[27][28] The company declared the flight a success, arguing that their objective for the test flight was to achieve a successful cut-off of the first stage's main engine, which was achieved.[28] The rocket did not carry any satellites or other payloads, as the launch was a demonstration mission.[27]

Rocket 3.3

On 28 August 2021 at 22:35 UTC, Astra launched its fourth Rocket 3 vehicle, Rocket 3.3 (serial number LV0006). The flight carried an instrumentation payload for the United States Space Force under the Space Test Program, and a separation of payload from the launch vehicle was not planned. Shortly after liftoff, a single engine failure caused the vehicle to begin drifting horizontally for several tens of meters off the launch pad before beginning to ascend vertically. Not long afterwards the vehicle deviated from its FAA licensed trajectory and range safety terminated the flight at approximately T+02:28. The rocket reached a peak altitude of 50 km (31 mi) before crashing into the ocean downrange of the launch site. No injuries or damage to property were reported from this incident.[29][4] Astra determined a small propellant leakage from the launcher fueling system caused impacts leading to a single engine failing. This triggered the hover during liftoff and left the rocket without enough thrust to reach orbit.[30]

On 20 November 2021, Astra's Rocket 3.3 vehicle (serial number LV0007) successfully reached orbit after launching from Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska (PSCA) carrying the demonstration payload STP-27AD2 (COSPAR 2021-108A, SATCAT 49494) for the United States Space Force.[31]

On 10 February 2022, Astra Rocket LV 0008 experienced an anomaly post-launch, during stage separation. After two previous scrubbed launch attempts, ignition and launch of LV0008 occurred nominally. However, after Main Engine Cut-off the payload fairing that covers the second stage and satellites failed to separate correctly and the ignition of the second-stage occurred with the fairing still attached. The second stage punched through the fairing and spun out of control. Shortly after this anomaly the flight was terminated and the payload lost. [32] The post-launch investigation later found that the failure was caused by an error in the wiring diagram which prevented the fairings from separating completely before second stage ignition, coupled with a software problem that resulted in the upper stage engine being unable to use its thrust vector system to correct the tumbling after stage ignition.[33]

On 15 March 2022, Astra Rocket 3.3 vehicle (serial number LV0009) successfully reached orbit with the Astra-1 mission.[34]

On 12 June 2022, Astra Rocket 3.3 vehicle (serial number LV0010) failed to reach orbit. The rocket's payload, two TROPICS satellites for NASA's TROPICS weather research (rainfall and hurricanes) constellation, was lost. This was the final flight of Rocket 3.0.[35]

On 4 August, 2022, Astra announced that since only two of Rocket 3.3's flights were successful, they will retire that vehicle and make a full transition to Rocket 4.0. They are also working with customers to get their payloads on the new launch vehicle.[7]

Future Rocket variants

Rocket 4

Rocket 4 is currently under development. It is an upgraded variant of Rocket 3 with new higher performance first stage engines and a payload capacity of several hundred kilograms to LEO. Astra aims to eventually achieve a weekly launch cadence with this vehicle.[8] On 4 August 2022 Astra announced its intention to make a full transition to Rocket 4, with its maiden flight being rescheduled to no earlier than 2023.[7]

Rocket 5

In September 2020, Astra submitted a proposal to the Air Force's AFWERX program titled, "Responsive Launch Enabled by Astra's Rocket 5.0". Rocket 5 will be a variant of the Rocket 3 dedicated to suborbital point-to-point delivery, featuring a modified second stage between the Rocket 3's first and upper stages.[9]

Launch history

0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
  •   Failure
  •   Loss before launch
  •   Partial Failure
  •   Success
  •   Planned
Flight Date / time (UTC) Rocket Launch site Payload Payload mass Orbit Customer Outcome[Note 1]
1 20 July 2018[1] Rocket 1 PSCA, Pad 2[36] Mass Simulator Un­known Suborbital Test Flight Failure (Astra declared success)[37]
P120 mission for a commercial customer.[38] The FAA reported an unknown mishap occurred during the launch;[1] Astra later noted the launch was successful.[37]
2 29 November 2018 [2] Rocket 2 PSCA, Pad 2[39] Mass Simulator Un­known Suborbital Test Flight Failure (Astra declared success)[37]
Launch for a commercial customer.[40] Flight ended earlier than planned, likely due to engine failure.[2][37] Rather than including an active second stage, this launch carried an "upper stage mass simulator".[2]
N/A 23 March 2020 Rocket 3.0 PSCA, Pad 3B[41] N/A N/A LEO DARPA Launch Challenge Precluded
"1 of 3". Initially intended to be part of the DARPA Launch Challenge, but failed to launch within the challenge's launch window due to an issue with a sensor for the guidance, navigation, and control systems.[42][43] The rocket was reused for the next launch without DARPA involvement, but on 23 March 2020, a fire occurred on the launch pad prior to launch, destroying the rocket.[44]
3 12 September 2020
03:19[45] 		Rocket 3.1 PSCA, Pad 3B None [46] N/A LEO None Failure
Formerly "2 of 3". Second attempt to launch a Rocket 3 for the first time. Initially intended to be the second of two launches for the DARPA Launch Challenge.[6] 30 seconds after lift off engines were shut down by the range safety officer.[45]
4 15 December 2020
20:55[47] 		Rocket 3.2 [6] PSCA, Pad 3B None [48] N/A LEO None Failure [49]
Formerly "3 of 3". First Astra rocket to pass the Kármán Line and reach its target orbital altitude of 390 kilometers. Narrowly failed to reach stable orbit due to issues with the upper stage propellant mixture ratio,[27][28] but exceeded the company's expectations with an otherwise-successful climb into near-orbital space from Kodiak Island, Alaska.[50]
5 28 August 2021
22:35 [51] 		Rocket 3.3 / LV0006 [52][53] PSCA, Pad 3B STP-27AD1 LEO U.S. Space Force Failure
First commercial Rocket 3 launch, and first of two demonstration launches for the U.S. Space Force.[54] An engine failure shortly after liftoff caused the rocket to drift sideways off the launch pad before ascending vertically. At approximately T+02:28, range safety ordered engine shutdown, terminating the flight.[55][29] A fueling system propellant leak was determined to be the root cause of the problem.[30]
6 20 November 2021
06:16 [56] 		LV0007 [57] PSCA, Pad 3B STP-27AD2 LEO U.S. Space Force Success
Second demonstration launch for the U.S. Space Force. This was Astra's first undisputed success.[54]
7 10 February 2022
20:00[58] 		LV0008 CC, SLC-46 BAMA-1, INCA, QubeSat, R5-S1 LEO NASA Failure
NASA Venture Class Launch Services 2 (VCLS 2) Mission One, officially known as VCLS Demo-2A.[59] The ELaNa 41 mission, consisting of four CubeSats, was launched on this flight.[60][61] An issue occurred after stage separation during flight which prevented delivery of the payloads into orbit.[62] The failure was later found to have been caused by a wiring error in the separation mechanism and a software flaw in the thrust vector system.[33]
8 15 March 2022
16:22[63] 		LV0009 PSCA, Pad 3B S4 Crossover (EyeStar-S4), OreSat0, 16 × SpaceBEE,[64] 4 × SpaceBEE NZ[65] SSO NearSpace Launch, Portland State University Success
Astra-1 rideshare mission for Spaceflight, Inc.; all payloads deployed successfully.[63] S4 Crossover, carrying EyeStar-S4, remained attached to the second stage as intended.[66][67]
9 12 June 2022
17:43[35] 		LV0010 CC, SLC-46 TROPICS × 2 19 kg (42 lb)[68] LEO NASA Failure
First of three launches for the TROPICS constellation.[69] Both satellites were lost as the rocket failed to reach orbit. The constellation was intended to consist of six satellites in total.
NET 2023[7][70] TROPICS × 2 19 kg (42 lb) LEO NASA Planned
Second of three launches for the TROPICS constellation.[69]
NET 2023[7][70] TROPICS × 2 19 kg (42 lb) LEO NASA Planned
Last of three launches for the TROPICS constellation.[69]
NET 2023[7][71] Lemur-2 × ? LEO Spire Global Planned
Contract with Spire Global for an unknown number of launches and satellites.
NET 2023[7][72] Flock-4 × ? LEO Planet Labs Planned
Multi-launch contract with Planet Labs.
NET 2023[7][72] Flock-4 × ? LEO Planet Labs Planned
Multi-launch contract with Planet Labs.
2023–2025[7][73] TBA TBA LEO Spaceflight Industries Planned
Multi-launch contract with Spaceflight Inc.

Notes

  1. ^ For consistency, the outcome of the flight is measured by whether the rocket achieves a stable orbit. The company may have particular objectives for test flights that are more or less strenuous than reaching orbit.

References

  1. ^ a b c Foust, Jeff (27 July 2018). "Alaska launch shrouded in secrecy". SpaceNews. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Foust, Jeff (6 December 2018). "Astra Space suborbital launch fails". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Astra reaches space for the first time with Rocket 3.2 launch". Space Explored. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  4. ^ a b "After wobbly liftoff, Astra Space rocket fails to reach orbit once again". CNBC. 28 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Astra stock surges after the rocket builder reaches orbit successfully". CNBC. 22 November 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Sheetz, Michael (16 June 2020). "Rocket startup Astra trying for an orbital launch again in July 2020, renewing fundraising efforts". CNBC. Archived from the original on 17 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Astra announces second quarter 2022 financial results". Astra (Press release). 4 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  8. ^ a b Burghardt, Thomas (12 June 2021). "Astra CEO Chris Kemp previews Rocket 4.0, daily launches, and a smarter planet". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
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  11. ^ a b c "Alaska launch shrouded in secrecy". SpaceNews. 27 July 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ "Licensed Launches". faa.gov. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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  28. ^ a b c Etherington, Darrell (15 December 2020). "Launch startup Astra's rocket reaches space". TechCrunch. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  29. ^ a b @jeff_foust (29 August 2021). "Just got off a brief call with Astra. One of the five first stage engines failed less than one second into flight. Range triggered the engine shutdown at T+2.5 minutes because the launch vehicle was outside its normal flight trajectory" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  30. ^ a b Berger, Eric (12 October 2021). "Astra explains previous failure, sets October date for next launch attempt". Ars Technica. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  31. ^ Foust, Jeff (20 November 2021). "Astra's Rocket 3.3 reaches orbit on fourth attempt". SpaceNews. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  32. ^ "Astra launch of NASA-sponsored cubesats fails". SpaceNews. 10 February 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  33. ^ a b "Astra blames launch failure on wiring error and software flaw". SpaceNews. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  34. ^ Malik, Tariq (15 March 2022). "You can watch Astra's return-to-flight rocket launch from Alaska today. Here's how". SpaceNews. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  35. ^ a b Foust, Jeff (12 June 2022). "Astra launch of NASA TROPICS cubesats fails". SpaceNews. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  36. ^ "Commercial Space Transportation License No LLS 18-112". FAA. Retrieved 3 April 2018. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  37. ^ a b c d "Astra scrubs DARPA launch challenge attempt". NASASpaceFlight.com. 2 March 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  38. ^ Alaska Aerospace. "PSCA Mission History".
  39. ^ "Commercial Space Transportation License; License Number LLS 18-144". FAA. Retrieved 17 October 2018. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  40. ^ Alaska Aerospace. "2018 AAC Annual Report". Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  41. ^ Twitter-News Archived 1 March 2020 at the Wayback Machine from Todd Master, 1 März 2020
  42. ^ Clark, Stephen (21 March 2020). "Astra readies for possible launch attempt next week". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  43. ^ Foust, Jeff (2 March 2020). "DARPA Launch Challenge ends without winner". SpaceNews. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
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  47. ^ Lapidus, Sarah. "Astra to try again today after weather delayed rocket launch attempt". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  48. ^ "Rocket 3.2 Ready To Launch!". astra.com. 11 December 2020. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  49. ^ Berger, Eric. "Just finished a call with @Astra. Rocket was 0.5 m/s (1.6 ft/s) short of orbit. With a better fuel mixture in the upper stage it would have orbited. Apogee of 390 km (240 mi). Rocket 3.3 will carry a payload, and there will be no hardware or software changes". twitter.com. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  50. ^ Clark, Stephen (16 December 2020). "Astra's smallsat launcher reaches space on second test flight". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  51. ^ "Astra Announces Multi-Launch Contract And First Launch With Department Of Defense". Astra. 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
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  53. ^ "On The Ground: Launch Vehicle 0006 Static Test". Astra. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  54. ^ a b Foust, Jeff (5 August 2021). "Astra to make next orbital launch attempt in late August for the Space Force". SpaceNews. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  55. ^ Astra [@Astra] (28 August 2021). "We suffered technical difficulties, but achieved 2.5 minutes of flight data. Every launch, whether successful or not, is an opportunity for us to learn. Our team will study the data and use this information to iterate on our next launch" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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  62. ^ Mike Wall (10 February 2022). "Astra rocket suffers catastrophic failure in 1st Florida launch, 4 satellites lost". Space.com. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  63. ^ a b Davenport, Justin (14 March 2022). "Astra successfully returns to flight with mission for Spaceflight Inc". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  64. ^ "Swarm launched satellites on Astra mission". 22 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  65. ^ McDowell, Jonathan [@planet4589] (11 April 2022). "It's now clear that the Astra LV0009 mission launched 20 SpaceBEEs, namely SpaceBEE 112 to 127 and New Zealand flagged SpaceBEE NZ-11 to NZ-14. All but two are now ID'd by 18SPCS; no IDs yet for the SpaceBEEs launched on Transporter-4" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 April 2022 – via Twitter.
  66. ^ "S4 CROSSOVER Technical Description". NearSpace Launch, Inc. FCC. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  67. ^ "NearSpace Launch Joins Astra's Upcoming EyeStar-S4 Mission". SatNews. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  68. ^ "Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation Structure and Storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) Mission Launch Services". sam.gov. Retrieved 9 June 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  69. ^ a b c Potter, Sean (26 February 2021). "NASA Awards Launch Service Contract for TROPICS Mission". NASA. Retrieved 27 February 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  70. ^ a b Clark, Stephen (14 June 2022). "Launch Schedule". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  71. ^ Foust, Jeff (12 August 2021). "Astra announces launch contract with Spire". SpaceNews. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  72. ^ a b Kemp, Chris (18 May 2021). "Planet Labs: Using Space To Help Life On Earth". Astra. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  73. ^ "Astra Announces Multi-Launch Contract and First Launch with Spaceflight Inc". Business Wire (Press release). 14 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
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