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Astra carrier rocket with US Space Force payload successfully reaches orbit

The previous launch in late August ended in failure

MOSCOW, November 20. /TASS/. A carrier rocket developed by the American company Astra with a test cargo of the US Space Force has successfully reached orbit, the company reported on its Twitter page.

The launch took place at 21:16 local time (09:16 Moscow time on Saturday) from the Pacific Spaceport Complex on Kodiak Island (Alaska).

Earlier, the company postponed the launch initially scheduled for Thursday.

The previous launch in late August ended in failure: a couple of minutes after the launch, the rocket's engines turned off and it lost stability.

Astra’s carrier rocket is about 12 meters long and is designated for sub-orbital delivery of small satellites. The developers of the rocket hope that its inexpensiveness and small size will ensure its competitive advantage on the market of space services.

In 2020, Astra made two test launches of its rocket, but they ended in failure - the rocket never reached orbit.

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