Launch startup Astra reaches orbit for the first time

The ranks of orbit-capable spaceflight companies just grew ever so slightly. TechCrunchreports Astra has reached orbit for the first time when its Rocket 3 booster launched shortly after 1AM Eastern today (November 20th). The startup put a mass simulator into a 310-mile-high orbit as part of a demonstration for the US Air Force's Rapid Agile Launch Initiative, which shows how private outfits could quickly and flexibly deliver Space Force payloads. This success has been a long time in coming. Ast...