Thread by @thesheetztweetz

Astra CEO Chris @Kemp and chief engineer @benjaminblyon are speaking now to reporters about the company reaching orbit.

Thread: $ASTR

@Kemp @benjaminblyon Kemp: "We're now focusing on delivering for our customers and scaling up the production and the launch cadence of our system – behind me is actually launch vehicle 0008."

@Kemp @benjaminblyon Kemp says Astra "will be sharing more soon on our schedule for the launch" of LV0008

@Kemp @benjaminblyon Lyon notes that the LV0007 launch went through "some upper level winds" above Alaska, but the rocket was "able to completely handle that wind shear" due to its autonomous flight algorithms.

@Kemp @benjaminblyon Lyon: "The most useful data that we got" aside from reaching orbit was "operating in sub-zero temperatures in Kodiak."

Kemp: "We had an 8 inch water line freeze solid."

@Kemp @benjaminblyon Kemp: The "nominal flight" of LV0007 "doesn't suggest any changes are needed for LV0008."

@Kemp @benjaminblyon Lyon: "We're making great progress on LV0008, it's well on its way to being integrated."

Kemp: "We'll be making some announcements soon as to the schedule, but don't expect a long wait for the next one."

@Kemp @benjaminblyon Kemp: The successful launch "suggests that there's not going to be a lot of attention" on further changes to its Rocket 3.3 variation, so "we're going to focus a lot of our team's efforts on really what we can do in the 4.0 vehicle."

@Kemp @benjaminblyon Kemp: "We're out of test flight phase; we'll be resuming with commercial payloads that will be operating for our customers."

"That's not to say that there won't be more test flights in the future" with Rocket 4.0.

@Kemp @benjaminblyon Kemp: "Getting to orbit was really hard. Astra and only a few other companies – I can count them on one hand – have done this, ever."

@Kemp @benjaminblyon Kemp, on whether the company will change its rocket naming convention:

"The name's Astra – I don't know if you name your FedEx and UPS trucks as they come up the street. We're providing launch services" and focusing on that service, "not the rocket or the version of the rocket."

@Kemp @benjaminblyon Kemp: Rocket 3.3 "will do just around 50 kilograms" to a 500 kilometer altitude orbit.

@Kemp @benjaminblyon That's all for the presser.