Reference news network reported on December 21 that the Spanish "20 Minutes" website recently reported that the American Astra Space Technology Company has become another space technology company in orbit. The company received this achievement after the rocket successfully lifted off from its launch pad in Kodiak, Alaska, on Nov. 20.
The mission, titled LV0007, is another attempt after the most recent mission in August. In previous launches, the company failed to reach orbit due to the rocket's lateral movement after liftoff.
The company said the launch failure in August was due to a misfire caused by an early shutdown of the engine. Despite some problems in the summer, nearly a year after conducting rocket 3.2 test launches, the company finally managed to achieve its first orbital flight.
The LV0007 mission rocket carries a demonstration payload from the U.S. Department of Defense. After the successful launch into orbit, Astra Space Technologies shares rose 42 percent at one point.
The company's goal is to produce rockets that can carry small payloads to avoid costs as high as Rocket Lab's Elektron rockets. In addition, they are working to make their rockets free from the single-launch mode of Space Exploration Technologies' Falcon 9 rocket.
The company's single launch costs just $2.5 million, while other rockets cost tens of millions of dollars. These figures helped the company achieve considerable growth in the 5 years since its inception. (Compilation / Li Zijian)
![Looking back at the rockets of various countries in 2021, they have returned home, and failure is also the mother of success[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)