Hello All,

Tonight Astra finally threaded the needle--the second stage of their LV0007 launch vehicle, with a non-separating simulated payload (which sent a simulated payload separation radio signal) is now in polar orbit, about 500 km (~300 miles) high. Here (see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97qhttuqtB4 ) is a video of it. They had one rather brief hold at T-8:38, when a LOX valve on the ground side of the plumbing stuck open (not at all unusual with cryogenic propellants; Alaska in the winter has the advantage, though, that the vehicle LOX tanks don't have to be topped off quite as often as at the Cape, Vandenberg AFB, and Wallops Island), but they quickly got the valve un-stuck. Also:

First motion—upward, this time—is at 1:44:55 on the video (the pad water deluge and engine ignition—you can hear the five battery-powered, pump-fed Delphin first stage engines [the single Stage 2 Aether engine is pressure-fed] start up with pops!—occurred a few seconds earlier, of course). Still, as Scott Manley remarked about during his analysis of the previous launch, which literally went sideways, they left the gates in the perimeter fence of LP-3B (Launch Pad 3B) open for this launch, too. :-) The little onboard TV camera surprise occurred at second stage cutoff, at 1:53:54.

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