The private spaceflight startup Astra will launch a commercial mission for Spaceflight, Inc. today and you can watch it live online.
An Astra Rocket 3.3 booster is scheduled to lift off at (1622 GMT, 9:22 a.m. PDT) from Astra’s pad on Kodiak Island, Alaska. You can watch the launch countdown live here, courtesy of NASA Spaceflight, or directly from Astra’s livestream page here.
Today’s mission, called Astra-1, will carry payloads for three Spaceflight, Inc. customers and is the first of a three-mission deal for Spaceflight.
“We continuously look for opportunities to provide our customers access to flexible and reliable options to get to orbit,” said Curt Blake, CEO and president of Spaceflight Inc in a statement. “By expanding our launch partner portfolio to include Astra, we can increase the launch opportunities available to our customers. Astra’s willingness to explore creative launch solutions and shared dedication to customer success makes them a great partner.”
Here’s a full statement from Astra on today’s launch, which was announced early this morning:
From Astra:
LAMEDA, CA/SEATTLE, WA—MARCH. 14, 2022—Astra Space, Inc. (“Astra”) (NASDAQ: ASTR) and Spaceflight Inc. (“Spaceflight”), the leading global launch services provider, today announced a multi-launch contract. The first launch under this contract is planned for today, March 14, 2022, with a window opening at 9:22am PDT / 16:22 UTC out of the Astra Spaceport in Kodiak, Alaska, but may be shifted to March 15, 2022 depending on conditions at the launch site. This agreement provides Spaceflight with launch opportunities using Astra’s launch services through 2025.
Through this commitment, Spaceflight expands its launch vehicle partner portfolio, offering its customers additional launch opportunities through Astra missions. Astra gains a knowledgeable and reliable partner that offers a consistent stream of satellite customers seeking launches. Together, Astra and Spaceflight are rapidly accelerating the cadence of how companies get to space.
“We continuously look for opportunities to provide our customers access to flexible and reliable options to get to orbit,” said Curt Blake, CEO and president of Spaceflight Inc. “By expanding our launch partner portfolio to include Astra, we can increase the launch opportunities available to our customers. Astra’s willingness to explore creative launch solutions and shared dedication to customer success makes them a great partner.”
Today’s planned launch, Spaceflight’s Astra-1, will take three Spaceflight customers, including Portland State Aerospace Society and NearSpace Launch, to a 525 km circular sun-synchronous orbit. Spaceflight managed the mission for all customers onboard and worked closely with the Astra team during the integration process.
“We are thrilled to partner with Spaceflight, who shares our customer-focused approach,” said Martin Attiq, Chief Business Officer at Astra. “We look forward to working together to make getting to space more efficient, frequent, and affordable than ever.”
Astra’s launch will be livestreamed in partnership with NASASpaceFlight. Updates, including a change in the planned launch date, if necessary, will be shared on Astra’s Twitter feed, @Astra.
